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.1 s no zIne ’ a I Ind Maga l r av e

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March 2018 • `100

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moveable feast Delhi’s Poshest Chinese

Living room of an antique villa at Amanyangyun, Shanghai

Indulgent holidays Shanghai w Sri Lanka w river CruiSe

somewhere else?

Parineeti ChoPra

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yuri gagarin

n

Cortona

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Kashmir in Winter

Argentina

Contents march 2018

shanghai

by Amit Dixit

sri lanka

by Sumeet Keswani

west bengal

by Soumitra Das

Chef Dharshan with Jacqueline Fernandez at Kaema Sutra Restaurant, Shangri-La Colombo

delhi chinese

by Manidipa Mandal

44 54 64 74

i n d u l g e n t h o l i d ays

volume 18 issue 3

Contents editor amit dixit deputy editor sharmistha chaudhuri assistant editor sumeet keswani correspondent manek s. kohli deputy photo editor shruti singh senior photographer Puneet k. Paliwal assistant art director asha rajPut designer gulshan sharma dtp operator kuldeeP kalia outlooktraveller.com managing editor sharmistha chaudhuri features writers Precious kamei, snigdha sharma contributing writer uttara gangoPadhyay

102 110

librarian alka guPta

92 30

BUSINESS OFFICE chief eXecutive officer indranil roy advertisements vice presidents sameer chhaBra meenakshi akash (events) shrutika dewan (Brand & marketing) digital team amit mishra circulation & SuBScriPtionS anindya Banerjee raj kumar mitra asst. general managers g. ramesh (south) vinod kumar (north) zonal sales manager arun kumar jha (east) manager shekhar suvarna ProDuction general manager shashank dixit chief manager shekhar kumar Pandey manager sudha sharma deputy manager ganesh sah assistant manager gaurav shrivas accountS asst. general manager diwan singh Bisht company secretary & law officer ankit mangal HEAD OFFICE aB-10, s.j. enclave, new delhi 110029 tel: 33505500; Fax: 26191420 customer care helpline: 011-33505533, 33505500 e-mail: outlook@outlookindia.com For subscription helpline: yourhelpline@outlookindia.com other officeS mumbai tel: 33545000; Fax: 33545100 kolkata tel: 46004506; Fax: 46004506 CHENNai tel: 42615224, 42615225 Fax: 42615095 bENgaluru tel: 43715021

Features 82 jaipur

by Ranee Sahaney

84 sawadhee spa

released on 01-03-2018 total no. of pages 128 + covers

First Man in Space

page 122

92 kashmir

by Manek S. Kohli

102 cortona

by Sreedeep

110 argentina

by Vivek Menezes

.1 E S NO IND IA’MA GA ZIN L TR AVE

www.outlooktraveller.com

March 2018 • `100

8 904150 800003

Printed and published by indranil roy on behalf of outlook Publishing (india) Private limited. editor: amit dixit.

Printed at international Print-o-Pac limited, c4-c11, Phase ii noida & published from aB-10 safdarjung enclave, new delhi 110029.

gearbox 28

by Amit Dixit

03

MOVEABLE FEAST Delhi’s Poshest Chinese

Indulgent holidays SHANGHAI w SRI LANKA w RIVER CRUISE

SOMEWHERE ELSE?

PARINEETI CHOPRA

n

YURI GAGARIN

Regulars

Living room of an antique villa at Amanyangyun, Shanghai

n

CORTONA

n

KASHMIR IN WINTER

Argentina

Cover photograph: AMAN RESORTS

6 letters 8 insider 16 nsew 30 hotels 122 Back oF the Book

ot 03/ 18 ● insider EnjoyablE though thEy arE, I share every self-respecting travel writer’s wariness, if not disdain, of luxury holidays. they can be extravagant and wasteful. they’re mildly embarrassing. and they can be pretty detached from reality. but luxury travel is evolving, as are notions of luxury itself. no longer is it just about flaunting your wealth or feeding on social media envy. I think it’s part of a general retreat from consumerism and embrace of a minimalist and sustainable lifestyle that resonated with a lot of us after the global financial crisis of 2008. Increasingly, the top end of travel is less about product and more about unique experiences. Frankly, that’s what all travel is meant to be.

I went on two contrasting but equally riveting trips recently. It would be fair to say that both came with the conventional markers of luxury. but they were also luxurious in refreshing new ways. one, under the auspices of the reni Pani lodge, was a walking and camping safari in the Satpura national Park. Is this central India’s best wildlife park you didn’t know about? Whether walking in the core zone past fresh tiger pugmarks or camping by a tranquil riverside or kayaking with crocodiles for company, creature comforts were not compromised. there was a priceless elemental connection with nature, which you cannot establish on one of those infernal jeep safaris. We followed a zero-footprint policy, so the campside sundowners were strictly guilt free. More about this dream trip in an upcoming issue of the magazine. the other trip found me inspecting a stunning new property on the outskirts of Shanghai.

It was a fascinating tale of restoration, while quietly pushing the envelope in terms of luxury resort design and experience. a win-win from any angle. that story is in this issue.

Most of all, the trips brought hope. If we put our minds to it, we can create sustainable yet indulgent holidays that nourish and renew us. and we probably don’t have to give up travelling any time soon to save the planet.

letter from the editor PHoToGRAPHS: AmIT dIxIT

Amanyangyun in Shanghai; and (below) a walking safari in the Satpuras

@omitdixit

—AMIT DIXIT

contributors#

SREEdEEp is a photographer who engages with various aspects of contemporary material, visual and virtual cultures.

His works have been published in plenty of publications and journals.

He completed his doctoral studies in sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

8

VIVEK MENEZES is a widely published writer and photographer, a columnist and a frequent contributor to leading periodicals in India and abroad. He is also the co-founder and curator of the Goa Arts & Literature Festival (GALF). His debut non-fiction book from Pengiun Random House is due later this year.

outlook traveller • march 2018

MaNIdIpa MaNdal likes the world handed to her on a platter, when she isn’t circumnavigating the globe.

She also has a particular penchant for platters in general—earthenware from everywhere, that is.

However, she will die happy if she never encounters another noodle.

aShfaq Rah is a tirelessly curious travel photographer whose main passion lies in capturing ancient cultures in unique, challenging situations. Whether he is photographing nomadic shepherds in the Himalaya or life in the traditional villages of Rajasthan, his common aim is always the same—to capture the human element.

SouMItRa daS writes about the fast disappearing heritage and culture of the city that he belongs to—Kolkata. The books he has written so far are A Jaywalker’s Guide to Calcutta, White & Black: Journey to the Centre of Imperial Calcutta, Jadughar: 200 Years of the Indian Museum, and his latest, 1940–70: Calcutta in the Photographs of Jayant Patel.

Begin your adventure on a hippo-and-croc-spotting boat cruise in Hluhluwe, marvel at the Bushman rock art on a Drakensberg hiking trail, then end your day by unwinding at one of the top spas in KwaZulu-Natal. No matter which route you choose, it’s always an adventure in South Africa.

KwaZulu-Natal Jetty Africa

GET BACK TO BASICS Explore more at southafrica.net #MeetSouthAfrica

edited by M anek s. koHli

NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST 18 souvenir 21 glide over the netherlands 22 aviation 24 instatravel 26 the professional 28 the gearbox

Sunderwala Mahal, now restored to its former glory

PUNEET K. PALIWAL

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Delhi

Park Perfect

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o truly ascertain the gargantuan scale of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture’s (AKTC) newly inaugurated Sunder Nursery park restoration project, take a look at these statistics: a 90-acre expanse with 280 native tree species (making it Delhi’s first arboretum), 4,200 mapped trees, 20,000 saplings, a biodiversity zone spanning 30 acres, 20 acres of nursery beds, 80 bird species, 36 butterfly species and 15 historical monuments. The AKTC, in partnership with the Central Public Works Department and the Archaeological Survey of India, has spent the past decade converting a century-old nursery adjoining Delhi’s popular Humayun’s Tomb into a sizeable heritage, ecological and nursery zone. The monuments, especially, have undergone major transformations—

16 outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

the 16th-century Sunderwala Mahal, for instance, was in a derelict state. Today, it stands good-as-new, and the building materials and methods used to achieve this were true to the original construction. Sunder Nursery has been designed by the landscape artist M. Shaheer, with Mughal-inspired gardens, marble fountains, rectangular flowerbeds and sandstone pathways all arranged in perfect symmetry. The park aims to serve a variety of functions— the 30-acre ecological zone is intended to be educational, the original nursery still stands, and a maidan serves as a picnic spot.

With facilities such as lecture rooms, food kiosks and a souvenir shop planned, there’s nothing really stopping Sunder Nursery from becoming to Delhi what the Central Park is to New York City, if it is not already that. Open on weekdays till 5pm.

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souvenir

SeaSon of the Witch

PUNEET K. PALIWAL

app Watch

ZAnkYOu

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hitched, hitch free why shuttle from plAce to place organising a wedding, when you can do it with a smartphone while lazing on your couch?

Download the free Zankyou app (also an online portal—zankyou.com) from the App Store or google Play, register your account, enter basic details, and choose from a variety of vendor options catering to every wedding requirement. From hiring photographers to choosing the most appropriate honeymoon package, Zankyou can help you plan just about every detail of your dream wedding.

Headquartered in Spain, the company recently launched its india platform to better cater to its users here. it even lets you create a database of guests and keep track of RSVPs. Also included is an online magazine that features the latest wedding trends and news. users can create a wedding website with all the essential information such as venues, dates and timings. the app’s simple, uncluttered interface makes it easy to navigate. n shankh chatterjee

outlook traveller • march 2018

• Hugging tHe AtlAntic OceAn in the northwest of Spain, galicia is an ancient land rich with good food and better wine. it is believed that the galicians were originally celts, so, even though galicia is home to Santiago de compostela, one of the holiest christian pilgrimages in europe, pagan beliefs and lore still hold sway over the land. After a day trip to the small fishing towns on the coast around Pontevedra—the highlight of which was a cruise to the mussel farms in the bay, where they kept bringing trayloads of steamed crustaceans until i put up my hands in protest—i found myself a cosy spot at a seaside café in O grove and ordered some café con leche, the drink of choice in Spain. And that’s when i spotted this meiga, or witch, in a souvenir shop window. i’m told that meigas can be forces of both good and evil. the most feared of the galician witches are the meigas-chuchonas or ‘sucker-hags’. A popular expression sums up the galician’s practical approach to mystical matters: “Eu non creo nas meigas, pero habelas hainas” (“i don’t believe in witches, but they exist”). How could i resist this keychain charm (and a dozen other things besides)? n amit dixit

 routehappy.com

Anyone who’s ever flown without enough legroom will know what it feels like to be a tall man stuffed in a child’s seat. the stiff knees and numb feet only add to the jet lag. So, all things considered, Routehappy (routehappy.com) is quite a noble website. You enter your travel details (say, Delhi to Madrid on March 9, 2018) just as on a regular ticketing website, but along with flight details you find additional useful information for each option—legroom (in inches) and how it rates (‘below average’, ‘standard’ or ‘above average’), aircraft type and layout, flight duration and whether it is faster or shorter compared to the others. You can even find out if amenities such as onboard meals, entertainment, Wi-Fi, and power and uSB outlets are available. there is an overall rating as well, which takes into account all these factors. unfortunately, you cannot book flights here; other than that, expect it to truly make you route-happy. n sc

SiteSeeing

NSEW ● updates

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musical

arrIVaL oF the SWanS

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f there is one musical written to draw out the best from ballet, it is Swan Lake.

Its soul-stirring music and complex yet evocative narrative have enthralled audiences for 140 years. Ukraine’s Royal Russian Ballet, known for its incredibly talented 55-member troupe, has partnered with the arts and entertainment company Navrasa Duende to bring Swan Lake to India. The 10-year-old Royal Russian Ballet promotes the best of Russia’s classical ballets across the world, and performs them with masterful skill and professionalism. The ballet will be performed in Mumbai (March 13–25, 2018) and Delhi (March 30–April 1, 2018), among other cities. Visit bookmyshow.com for tickets.

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senior travel

young at heart

C

SHUTTERSTOCK

lub Mahindra has just launched a scheme for senior citizens who prefer to think of themselves as being in their golden years rather than being over the hill. The Bliss programme offers 10-year memberships across three categories (Bliss Classic, Bliss Premium and Bliss Signature) to those over 50 years of age. As part of your plan, you can vacation in any of the brand’s 53 resorts in India and abroad, while availing special services, such as, booking assistance, a dedicated helpdesk and airport transfers, and indulging in exclusive activities like spa therapies, sightseeing and nature walks. Club Mahindra also promises to look after your specific needs and pamper you wherever possible. Depending on your plan, you are allotted points that can be exchanged for 7 to 10 nights every year in Club Mahindra’s resorts during the off season. Membership begins from `1,58,730, taxes extra; bliss.clubmahindra.com

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outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

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the netherlands

fly by

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his is Holland may not be an actual flight journey across the landscape of the Netherlands, but that does not mean it is any less of an exhilarating experience. In this recently opened Amsterdam theatre, you sit on one of the 40 seats suspended underneath a giant domed screen and watch an eight-minute film that showcases a bird’s-eye view of the most scenic Dutch attractions.

The chairs move in sync with the camera movements, so you get a sensation of flying. Add atmospheric effects, including wind, mist and smells, and you have an almost complete suspension of disbelief. Tickets available for ¤16.50, open daily; thisisholland.com

australia

marvel-lous

A

s the world continues to go gaga over Black Panther, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the city of Melbourne gears up to bring the franchise closer to its fans in its own way. This month, it will become the fifth city to launch the Marvel’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. experience, which uses technology and film-based props to create an immersive entertainment and information zone. You assume the role of a superhero and learn about the history, science, engineering, genetics, technology and personality that define your favourite character. Audiovisual elements make the experience interactive and realistic. While it is okay to get carried away with a cape in this superhero zone, we’d advise against trying it at home. Tickets AUD 32 for adults, AUD 23 for kids below 17; marvel.com.au

TRAVEL PROMOTION

SeychelleS – the iSlandS of love

S

ensual Seychelles has long been dubbed the ‘Islands of love’ - a place where romance is as natural as the waves caressing the shores of a secret cove at midnight. For Newlyweds looking for a dream-like honeymoon, like that of the Royal Couple William and Kate, there is no better option than Seychelles. The nation is blessed with a beautiful warm tropical climate throughout the year and has no risk of natural calamities, making it a year-long romantic destination.

• There are 65 uncrowned beaches on the island of Mahé alone, with silver sands framed by some of the oldest granite boulders on earth • There are a host of activities like the stunning hiking in Morne National Park, Takamaka Bay Rum Distillery, etc to experience the traditional

Creole culture • Island-hopping and day excursions to multiple islands is easy due to regularly scheduled ferries and planes • Seychelles offers some of the finest sailing with easy distances and safe moorings. Seychelles is also a diver’s paradise, teeming with marine life and spectacular underwater landscapes

Official name – Republic of Seychelles Capital – Victoria Widely spoken languages – Creole and English (official) Currency - Local currency is Seychelles Rupees. USD and Euros are widely accepted.

Entry/Exit Formalities No visa requirements to enter the Seychelles.

Documents required for immigration clearance: A passport valid for more than 6 months; Return or onward ticket; Proof of accommodation; sufficient funds for the duration of your stay

WATCH THIS SPACE AIR CANADA’s Delhi– Vancouver direct flight, which was earlier running only seasonally from April to October, will now operate four times a week all year round starting June 8, 2018. See aircanada.com.

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the Review

CATHAy PACIfIC loungES, Hong kong

H

ong Kong’s new airport is among the busiest in the world. More than 60 million passengers fly in and out of here every year on over 100 different airlines. It is also the primary hub of Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier. Thus, the fact that the airline has five lounges for its business-class passengers shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Four of these are for passengers transiting or departing, and one for those who have landed.

My favourite is The Pier, Cathay Pacific’s largest lounge anywhere, massive and yet somehow intimate.

The attendants here are friendly, and if you request something, it’s no trouble at all.

The seating area features comfortable sofas and chairs with built-in reading lamps and side tables. The main food hall next to it is also spacious, featuring high-top tables, bar seating, as well as regular tables. There is an array of hot and cold items—chicken, fish, beef and sandwiches of all kinds, plus a selection of pastries, desserts and fresh fruit.

Further down the lounge is the Teahouse, designed on the lines of a traditional Chinese teahouse, where you can choose from 10 varieties of tea. The lady behind the counter is only too happy to help you make your choice.

There is also the Noodle Bar, where I once stopped by for some freshly prepared dandan noodles. The menu includes wantons, buns, dumplings and soups.

At the far end of the lounge are 14 well-appointed shower rooms, spotlessly clean, as one would expect, with a luggage rack. The toiletries are from an upscale 22

outlook traveller • March 2018

brand. What I particularly enjoyed was the shower pressure. The adjoining relaxation room has comfortable daybeds for a quiet snooze.

On one occasion, during a short layover, I quickly showered and asked for a generous serving of smoked salmon with capers. I squeezed some lemon juice on it and helped myself to some brown bread. Then I grabbed a glass of superior Chardonnay from the bar. A quick but delicious meal, and I made it to the boarding gate in time.

Whether you end up at The Pier or one of the other lounges in the airport depends on the gate from which your flight will take off. All of them have the same amenities, more or less. The Wing business lounge is in the south departure hall. The Bridge, located between Terminals 1 and 2, is known for its bistro fare and coffee, with fresh breads, muffins and pizzas from the Bakery.

The Cabin is situated in the centre of the airport. It has floor-to-ceiling windows facing the runway, so you can watch planes land and take off.

Then, there is The Arrival lounge for business-class passengers, especially handy for those who have to go straight to a business meeting. You can shower and grab a bite to eat at the buffet before setting off. It is also useful for those on an extended layover with time to visit the city.

Besides its own business-class passengers, the Cathay Pacific lounges welcome those flying on other One World alliance partner airlines. Selected members of Marco Polo Club, the airline’s frequent flyer programme, can also make use of them. n bhaichand patel

SPICEJET has rolled out 20 new non-stop flights on domestic routes from February 11, 2018. Of these, 18 cater to destinations in the southern states of India, 10 flying to Andhra Pradesh alone.

In addition to that, SPICEJET will be the only carrier to operate daily direct Kolkata– Jabalpur and Bengaluru– Puducherry flights.

See spicejet.com.

INDIGO has announced daily direct flights connecting Vijayawada to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. With operations beginning from March 2, 2018, this makes Vijaywada the carrier’s 50th destination.

See goindigo.in.

AIR INDIA has now become the first airline permitted by Saudi Arabia to use its airspace to operate direct flights to Tel Aviv, Israel. The Indian carrier was allowed this for flights from New Delhi, and the move comes as a sign of friendlier relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Additionally, AIR INDIA has also launched a twice-weekly direct Amritsar–Birmingham flight that allows passengers to avoid a stopover in Delhi. The airline will use a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for this route. See airindia.in.

Calling her page The FUN Blog!, Yishyene’s (@ smallcrazy) Instagram feed is all about pop colours, whimsical yet symmetrical frames, and a whole lot of crazy. What stands out is her imaginative use of shades and the fact that she frames herself in the centre of her images, with a scenic landscape or a quirky building in the background. She has collaborated with multiple boutique hotels around Southeast Asia and Europe.

Luxury escapades are Magdalene Odigie’s (@maisonmagda) bread and butter. Since leaving her job in the fashion industry in 2016, she has travelled the globe and visited some gorgeous properties that she photographed in bright colours. Her poised demeanour lures her readers into the land of butlers and private swimming pools. She often collaborates with high-end fashion labels, hospitality brands and boutique hotels.

Akanksha Redhu (@akanksharedhu) is our Indian pick of the month, and for good reason. Across the feed of this style, travel, luxury and beauty blogger, you will find photographs of properties such as Westin and Ramada, or collections such as that of Rahul Mishra. Akanksha’s style is mostly about closeups and saturated colour tones, but elegance definitely does not evade her.

NSEW ● instatravel

#luxury #travelwithstyle #beautifuldestinations five instagrammers we really like right now

Financier-turned-travel-blogger, photographer and YouTuber, Kiersten Rich (@theblondeabroad) has captured everything from vast deserts to beaches and blue oceans, mostly framing them around luxury hotels and resorts. Fifty countries and five years later, her focus is on portraying the calm of travel, even as she partakes in plenty of adventure. Her photographs have muted tones and soft pastel shades, and mostly depict earthy colours.

Thanks to his massive following and partnerships with brands like Tiffany and ITC Hotels, Jack Morris (@doyoutravel) has been around the globe more than a few times. His pictures have a grainy effect, giving them a vintage look. You can find him or his wife, or the both of them together, in his dramatically framed photos.

NSEW ● the professional Tell us about your journey.

By the time I turned 30 and was working as Cadbury’s national consumer marketing manager, I was keen to set up something of my own. So I applied for a second MBA in France. When I came back, my parents had moved to Pune and were also looking to expand their business. Initially, we wanted to start a packaged food company, only to realise that it made no commercial sense. All I knew for sure was that I wanted to be in the food industry. So when we chanced upon the idea of a restaurant, we were all for it. It took us a year to set up Krustys Bistro & Bar. Why a European bistro?

It was the perfect blend of my love for the food and travel across the Mediterranean belt. But we started Krustys as a café bistro with a focus on baked items. My mother curated the menu, while I handled the management. It was demand from our customers that diversified our menu and shifted our focus to European food. We have a rotating menu, with French and Italian food as a constant—I doubt that sauerkraut from Germany would work all year round! We do special menus on weekends. Recently, we tried some Scandinavian dishes. For a while we served Turkish kebab and lamb merguez as appetisers. We even managed pork belly.

Some would think that Pune is conservative, but that is not true. People in this city are looking to experiment and explore. I wish to bring in food from countries like Israel, Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon.

What is the philosophy behind Krustys?

We aimed to start small, and build by adding and experimenting with cuisines.

This strategy has worked in our favour.

Today we have two restaurants, a bar and an R&D lab. Krustys is an all-day bistro, and has introduced authentic Mediterranean food in the casual dining space in Pune.

We believe that the ambience and the food have to be a perfect blend of contemporary and traditional. The chefs are given the same mandate. So, you can’t mess with a traditional dish like the lasagne, but the lamb chops are an open canvas for innovation.

We cook our food fresh in open kitchens for the customers to see. It not only builds trust but also a bond with the food, and puts deliberate pressure on the chef. At the end of the day, our customers have a lot of options, but if they choose Krustys, then their experience has to be perfect. We import quality ingredients, and each ingredient goes through a blind taste test. Every dish has to be absolutely worth it, and we go about it in a meticulous manner.

26 outlook traveller • March 2018

What made you start an R&D lab?

It came from the need to innovate and incorporate new cuisines. Of course, the ability to come up with ideas also needs experience and maturity. You have to know what works and what doesn’t. For instance, you cannot cook seafood in jalapeño puree— that would be sacrilege. Every Monday I sit with my chefs to critique new ideas. We build recipes from one ingredient, have our loyal customers taste them, and finally take the call to put them on the menu. We take special care to find new, unique ingredients. You have to be adventurous; you cannot constantly worry about failure. The idea is to marry consumer expectations with the right amount of experimentation.

What is the challenge of running an authentic European bistro in Pune?

I think the main challenge was building a supply chain for fresh ingredients. For

instance, we wanted to introduce lamb chops, but finding a reliable supplier with the right kind of meat was something we only cracked last year. Most of our ingredients are imported or grown here organically. The European palate is not as masala oriented as the Indian one or as umami as the Oriental palate. If people are willing to experiment with the food, then we cannot compromise on its authenticity. Of course, all this hassle is worth the compliments we get. When someone used to a traditional Indian palate appreciates our food, it feels like we are doing something right.

Pick your favourite dishes from the menu.

I think the herb-crusted red snapper is definitely my favourite. We also do a smoked three-pepper cheese and onion tortellini that is cooked in hazelnut butter. I am also partial to our kaffir lime and lemongrass prawns in a creamy coconut sauce. n anshika nagar

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NSEW ● Gearbox

fUtURE saNs MiRRoR victoRiNox swisscaRD LitE The SwissCard Lite seems to be the lovechild of a credit card and a Swiss army knife. Whatever it is, it fits easily in your wallet and packs plenty of tools in just 26 grams—an emergency blade (letter opener), scissors, a magnifying glass, four types of screwdrivers, a pressurised ballpoint pen, a stainless steel pin, tweezers, two rulers and an LED light. `2,580; victorinox.com

casio DENiM’D coLoUR

fUjifiLM x-h1 Let’s just put it out there: thanks to smartphone cameras, DSLRs are losing out. Sales are plummeting, companies are reconsidering their market strategies, and chaos reigns. However, there is a silver lining—more mirrorless cameras are being sold today than ever before. No surprises here: in a world with sophisticated digital technology, cameras that replace the optical mirror with a digital display system ought to prevail. But are they actually better? If we go by the specs, the Japanese manufacturer Fujifilm’s new flagship camera, the X-H1, is a resounding yes. It has a 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor that teams up well with XF lenses and the in-built X-Processor Pro processing engine. Also, the camera’s in-body image stabilisation is unlike any other and efficiently tackles camera shakes. When it comes to video recording, its ‘ETERNA’ mode can be used at 400 per cent dynamic range, and simulates the output of cinematographic films.

From `2,24,998; fujifilm.in

When classic meets trendy: Casio India has recently introduced denim-patterned designs for some of its existing watch models. Its rugged G-SHOCK and casual BABY-G watches don this new avatar as an ode to the undisputed king of casual wear—the jeans. The watch is available in three different shades of blue.

From `4,500; casio.co.in

caRRERa ss18 It has been a while since such an intriguing collection of sunglasses came our way. The Italybased Carrera is a 62-year-old company, so you can expect a vintage look. Yet it continues to innovate heavily in terms of design. In its recent line, the company has introduced a new ‘Tank Hinge’, which is built to be lightweight and flexible. The concept is named after a motorcycle fuel tank, and the hinge helps the sunglasses complement a biker’s attire. The brand’s iconic flag symbol is present on the frame, and its trademark colour, red, features heavily as well. With the collection’s Italian design, the attention to detail, and, most importantly, its ergonomic hinge allowing ease of wear and comfort, this is your best bet for long-term eyewear. From `6,900; carreraworld.com 28

outlook traveller • march 2018

cRocs LitERiDE Not everyone fancies the look of a Crocs shoe, but we can all agree that the brand makes really comfortable footwear. The foam in their latest LiteRide takes things up a notch—statistically speaking, it makes shoes 40 per cent softer and 25 per cent lighter than the older Classic Croslite foam. The LiteRide is a fashionable new collection that includes plenty of styles, such as clogs, slides, sandals, flip-flops, etc. From `2,995; shopcrocs.in

For more information: New Delhi: (91 11) 4674 1111, tatdel@tat.or.th | Mumbai: (91 22) 22020264 /65, tatmumbai@tat.or.th Website: tourismthailand.org | tourismthailand.in

The Black Box on Whitefield Road

hotels

check out 32 BLACK BOX ON WHITEFIELD ROAD 34 RIu pLAzA NEW yORK TImEs squARE 36 jAypEE REsIDENCy mANOR 42 fresh sheet BuDs By sHANgRI-LA, sINgApORE

[ check out ]

the all-in-one staycation Shop, sleep, dine and work at the Black Box on Whitefield Road, says Sharmistha Chaudhuri

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giant black box-like structure stood tall on one side of Whitefield Road.

“Interesting,” I said to myself as my cab inched towards it. First impressions don’t always endure, but this one did.

Bengaluru has always been a fastchanging metropolis. My last visit was close to eight years ago, and I could barely recognise the city that whizzed past me now. To my dismay, the traffic situation had remained the same, but the second phase of metro construction 30

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was on in full force. In fact, a long strip of Whitefield Road had been cordoned off for the underground work, which in turn led to ridiculous traffic snarls above. Yet, as I entered the massive VR Bengaluru complex, locally known as the Black Box on Whitefield Road, a sense of calm engulfed me.

Whitefield was an Anglo-Indian and European settlement in the 19th century, built on about 3,900 acres of land granted by the maharaja of Mysore. VR Bengaluru retains that colonial charm while encouraging a contemporary feel.

The Black Box is an integrated experience—one can stay at the Waverly Hotel & Residences, shop and dine at VR Bengaluru, and work at Hive. With other facilities on offer, such as fitness, art, spa and a gorgeous panoramic view, you don’t have to step outside this 600,000 sq feet space on your Bengaluru staycation.

A sense of nostalgia swept over me as I entered the hotel. Having grown up in a city still redolent of its colonial past, this was comforting. I stayed at the library suite on the fifth floor. The wallto-wall windows gave a wide view of the

Clockwise from top left: the Garden City; the Whitefield Arms; a residence at Waverly; and the Sky Deck

surroundings, unrestricted today, but given the rate of construction, who knows in some years.

Putting the thought out of my mind, I stored away the muted greens and blues of the suite in my memory instead, for future reference when redesigning my apartment. A feeling of home away from home was palpable. No wonder there is a guest here who has been staying for two years.

Legend has it that in the days of the erstwhile Waverly Inn, former British prime minister Winston Churchill, then a young army officer, courted the innkeeper’s daughter. (He also still owes a princely `13 to the historic Bangalore Club.) Reminders of Churchill’s connection with Whitefield popped up everywhere. The bookshelf in the living area of my suite had numerous volumes on him. The soft pink-and-purple colour scheme of the floor formed a backdrop for a bust. The Whitefield Arms, the pub and restaurant which serves Anglo-Indian grub with a twist and

complimentary breakfast to guests, also had references to Churchill.

To shift to a different world, all you need is a key card. The Hive, accessed via a grey door on the fifth floor, plunges you into modernity. Here, workspaces can be customised as per requirement. Already about 90 per cent of the space is occupied, with 65 companies in attendance. More expected when the third floor opens. Coworking spaces like this one could well prove to be fonts of creativity. As I worked on an article, my mind kept absorbing the surroundings, and I learnt about cables, stocks and even ports.

The mall, accessed by a different lift, is an entertainment hub. With 120 stores and over 2,000 brands on offer, mid-level to high-end, it aims to attract shoppers across the budget spectrum.

You could dine at one of the many restaurants or at the food court, or even catch a film if you’re facing a writer’s block. For some pampering, there is the spa (Bounce) on the ground floor, or the gym (Tribe), where Hive workers and

guests get discounts. If you’re craving the outdoors, step out into the Garden City, a landscaped space in demand for activities throughout the year. Whitefield Art Collective’s installations were being showcased during my visit.

As evening fell, I made my way to the Sky Deck, which affords a panoramic view of Whitefield. I had a glass of sangria, crispy pork belly and an off-the-menu chicken filo pastry before me. Shopping bags were piled at my feet. I sighed at the thought of the soft mattress in my room. It had been a good staycation, indeed.

The informaTion LOCATION VR Bengaluru, Whitefield Main Road, Bengaluru.

ACCOMMODATION 54 rooms, including 3 lofts with kitchen, 3 library suites and 3 1-bedroom residences TARIff `17,000 onwards; staycation packages from `7,499 CONTACT +91-80-67089000, thewaverly.in

outlook traveller • march 2018

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[ check out ]

THE ManHaTTan addrEss Visitors are lured by the location of Riu Plaza New York Times Square, finds sharmistha Chaudhuri

You need a keycard to enter the lounge on the 26th floor. It’s well stocked with finger food and beverages that one can relish after a long day of Manhattan-gazing.

The lobby is filled with lively pops of purple and pink, with iconic New York art gracing the walls.

The Riu Plaza New York Times Square, part of the Spanish chain Riu, opened its doors in March 2016 with 600-plus rooms across 29 floors. The hotel is located at 305 West 46th Street, overlooking Times Square, of course.

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Visitors can take in amazing views of Manhattan from the upper floors of the hotel. On a clear day, one can just stare outside for hours.

Fashion, the hotel’s restaurant and bar, serves delicious cocktails. A personal favourite was the Whiskey Sour, which I couldn’t get enough of.

Complimentary breakfast (a massive spread, for the record) is served to guests every morning at 8th Avenue, which overlooks Restaurant Row and Broadway.

The informaTion LOCATION 305 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036; 26 km from New York’s John F Kennedy airport

With over 600 rooms on offer, the hotel has 11 accommodation categories. This is their Deluxe Family Room.

ACCOMMODATION 600 rooms in 29 floors TArIFF From $320 including breakfast CONTACT +1-800-0310011, riu.com

outlook traveller • March 2018

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A deluxe room at the Valley View tower

[ check out ]

The Bigger The BeTTer Just outside Mussoorie, this grand hotel by the Jaypee Group offers the peace and calm that is hard to find anywhere in the main hill station, finds Manek S. Kohli

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hen one of India’s largest construction companies decides to build a spectacular hotel on the outskirts of Mussoorie, the result is, not surprisingly, nothing short of monumental. Over two decades since it was commissioned, the five-star Jaypee Residency Manor is still in the making— its Valley View tower, a fully equipped wing with 41 rooms, just a short scenic walk from the main hotel, was added only four years ago.

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The property calls itself a ‘hill manor’ and with good reason. You step inside to find a modestly furnished, mostly wooden interior, with a ceiling rising to some 50 feet above you. Spread over a well-utilised nine-acre premises, there is an obvious, though eclectic, ‘size matters’ approach to the place, best depicted by its ‘Uttarakhand’s largest indoor heated swimming pool’, a fullsized bowling alley and gaming arcade, and even a terrace chessboard with pawns the size of puppies.

Upon my arrival, resident manager

Vikram Sharma took me to Café Manor, their Italian and continental coffee shop at the Valley View tower. Here, the ‘Manor’s tandoori pizza’ (tandoori cottage cheese, peppers, onions and green chillies), gave me a taste of the hotel’s approach to continental food— authentic, but fused with Indian flavours wherever possible. Indeed, a pleasant surprise.

Executive chef Tanuj Nayyar continued to surprise me at dinner at Regency, their recently renovated allday dining restaurant that celebrates

Clockwise from top left: the Celebrations table at the main hotel; a view of the property; a delicacy at Residency; and the play area for children

the cottage industries and artisans of India with food. Along with a Garhwali spread, he also served continental and north Indian specialities. Thankfully, this contrast worked well—the strong flavours of the murgh makhanwala and oven-roasted fish balanced nicely with the milder chainsoo (traditional Uttarakhandi dish made with black gram lentils) and aaloo thechwani (a dish made with crushed potato)—just as the contemporary décor of Regency complemented the display of the locally manufactured containers of jams, jellies and juices lining the walls.

Jaypee Residency Manor is not just about size. The hotel is also a place of plenty—over 300 guests can stay and dine at the same time (perfect for weddings), there are facilities for 24 sport and entertainment activities, floor-to-ceiling 36

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windows abound all over the property, and the rooms, cosy and spacious, boast of the best hill views money can buy. It is a responsible hotel as well, incorporating 16 ‘green features’, including water and electricity conservation. Signboards name and describe every unique plant, and there is a functional organic garden.

There is also a ‘recycled corner’, where broken juice containers from the restaurants are reused as plant pots. Oh, and how can one forget the spa—their outsourced Sansha Spa’s signature Classic Fusion Therapy (`3,999) is not one to miss.

There was one occasion, though, when Jaypee Residency Manor’s magnificence was overshadowed. As Vikram and I stepped outdoors to the terrace lawn one evening, we were left gaping at Mussoorie’s unique winter line. The

horizon was pink at one moment and purple the next. After I walked up to the viewing deck, called Titanic Point, and caught an almost 360-degree view of the valley below, I turned around and saw the hues reflect upon the walls of the hotel. Though nature may have played its trump card, in its glow, the hotel looked more magnificent than ever.

The informaTion LOCATION Barlowganj, Mussoorie. Approx.

300km (6.5hrs) from Delhi and 5km (15min) before Mussoorie ACCOMMODATION 135 rooms including 61 deluxe, 29 executive, 4 suites and 41 guest rooms at the Valley View tower TArIff from `7,000 doubles, taxes extra; breakfast included CONTACT +91-135-6602079, 6602000, jaypeehotels.com

hotels chair there. It is shaped like a beach lounger. You can lie down on it, and it gently heats your body. It’s very relaxing.

[ personal choice ]

PArInEETI CHoPrA actor Which is your favourite hotel and why?

It’s a tough choice but on the basis of my two main loves—food and spa, I will say the Palazzo Versace Hotel in Dubai.

The location of this decadent hotel is also a plus. Located along the shores of the Dubai Creek, the hotel is bang in the middle of the Culture Village, less than 15 minutes away from the Dubai International Airport and eight minutes away from Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai.

The views are simply stunning!

What about the food? Oh, don’t even get me started. I start salivating just thinking about it. Andrea Gaia, the executive chef at Vanitas, the Italian restaurant, pampered my inner foodie.

The restaurant has a simple, but delicious, menu comprising authentic Italian food. The marinated salmon with cream cheese and avocado purée is the best way to start a meal. Do not miss the seafood risotto either! Each of the eight dining venues in the hotel focusses on curated dining and pays tribute to Versace’s signature works.

Is there anything else that you liked about the hotel? I was floored by the beautiful architecture. On arrival, one is welcomed by the striking ‘Pietra di Fiume’ design of the iconic Medusa and Greek décor. The lagoon pools and reflection ponds enhance the serenity of the lush gardens that surround the hotel.

The hotel merges Arabic architectural elements and detailing with traditional Versace motifs. It’s simply beautiful. n

aarti kapur singh

You mentioned the spa. What did you like so much about it? So, the spa has a private jacuzzi, vitality pools and Moroccan baths. It is one of the most opulent spas I’ve been to. I loved the hot-stone

WATCH THIS SPACE

n The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, has announced a ‘pawtnership’ with luxury British dog brand Teddy Maximus for guests travelling with their best friend. The £600 ‘Pawfect Package’ includes the Sand Shetland wool cocoon bed and lounging cushion, ceramic food and drink bowls, toy bone, neckerchief and ‘The Otis’ lead. See mandarinoriental.com n Experience a double dose of luxury when you book two nights at The Oberoi, Dubai (deluxe room) and two nights at The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah (premier room). The luxury retreat offer is on till March 15, 2018 and priced at AED 1,490 per room per night. The offer includes breakfast, transfers between hotels, and internet access. See oberoihotels.com n Alila Purnama, the luxury liveaboard Phinisi ship in Indonesia, has recently launched a ‘Diving with Whale Sharks’ experience. The experience is included in the 7D/6N Cendrawasih Bay Expedition package which costs from $2,835 per night, based on two guests sharing. See alilahotels.com n The Conservatorium Hotel, Amsterdam, is offering the ‘Tulips in Bloom’ package from March 29 until April 28. It includes a helicopter ride, an exclusive journey across the grounds of a tulip farm, entrance tickets to Keukenhof, and two nights’ stay in the hotel. See conservatoriumhotel.com.

[we like] sayura house ● A SMALL BOUTIQUE hotel located in the quiet bylanes of Wellawatte (Colombo 6), Sayura House is as charming as it gets. Owned by a Japanese-Sri Lankan family, the hotel has 12 cosy rooms with minimalist furnishings which include wood and bamboo, a green garden lobby with antique-styled wooden seating, and a lovely breezy rooftop with ocean views. You can walk to the seaside in two minutes from the hotel. Complimentary breakfast is served to all guests, free WiFi is offered, and for self-drive holiday-makers, free parking space. The hotel can arrange unique Sri Lankan experiences such as night cycling and street food adventures in the capital, watersports in Bentota and a tour of the turtle hatchery in Kosgoda, or even a luxurious beach and spa getaway in Negombo. Relax and write about your adventures after a long day at the balcony which has seating in front of every room. TARIFF $44 onwards CONTACT +94-11-433-1145, sayurahouse.com

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[ fresh sheet ]

Child-friendly luxury

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he recently-opened Buds by Shangri-La, Singapore, is perfect for families with young children. Located on the first floor of the hotel’s rejuvenated Tower Wing, which is dedicated to family travellers, Buds has interactive indoor and outdoor play spaces spanning 2000-plus sq m that will leave young guests mesmerised. Children can enjoy the

indulge in authentic Indian food, served with a South African twist, as you enjoy the view of the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace. In the newly-opened Curry Room at The Rubens at the Palace, enjoy a delicious three-course meal.

Start with samosas and papads before choosing a

explorer zone which has sand pits and mazes, learn about the universe, perform on stage, be artistic in the Muddy Room, and even learn to bake. Tired of the indoors? Head to the pool and water play zone outside. Kids will also love the five themed suites with whimsical interiors. Open daily 09:00 onwards, themed suites from S$900, shangri-la.com

main—KwaZulu-Natal dishes like lamb or chicken curries, or Indian favourites such as beef vindaloo, butter chicken or Bengal fish curry, before moving on to dessert, which has four options. Timings: 12:30–14:30 and 17:30–21:00. £35.00 per person, rubenshotel.com

jharkhand Jon ha Fal l

travel destination

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Jamshedpur

Tagore Hill, Ranchi

GOVERNMENT OF JHARKHAND DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

M.D.I. Building, 2nd Floor, Dhurwa, Ranchi 834004 secretary Ph.: 0651-2400981, Fax : 0651-2400982, email : govjharkhandtourism@gmail.com director Ph. : 0651-2400493, Fax : 2400492, email : dirjharkhandtourism@gmail.com, JtdC email : jtdcltd@gmail.com Website : www.jharkhandtourism.gov.in, www.facebook.com/jharkhandtourismdepartment twitter:https://twitter.com/visitjharkhand, Youtube : https//m.youtube.com/channel/UCKDHUzseKwkESQLzOliVOA

city shanghai

Restoration Drama

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The final fronTier in luxury is here and iT’s called amanyangyun, says amit dixit

mere 27-km drive from downtown Shanghai—but in sharp contrast to its hustle and bustle—an extraordinary restoration project is finally bearing fruit. There’s nothing quite like it, actually. In the early 2000s, Ma Dadong, an entrepreneurial success symptomatic of the new China, visited his home town of Fuzhou in Jiangxi, a province noted as a cradle of Chinese culture. Fuzhou itself was home to Wang Anshi (1021-86), the reformist prime minister of the Song Dynasty. A dam announced by the government was going to inundate several Qingand Ming-era villages and, with them, graceful stone houses, some over 500 years old. Apart from the villages, thousands of camphor trees, revered by the Chinese, would be drowned forever. It broke Ma’s heart.

Thus began a project, which would be unbelievable were it not real, to uproot, transport and transplant 10,000 camphor trees (10,502, to be precise) and about a thousand other trees to a private forest 700km away on the outskirts of Shanghai. It was a logistical nightmare.

The trees had to be pruned to make them light enough to transport. Landslides due to rain made matters difficult, with trucks upturning often. Some bridges on the route were too low to allow passage, so the road underneath had to be dug to allow trucks to pass. In places, toll gates had to be removed and reinstated. And the trees had to be transported as fast as possible if they were to survive.

Ma kept at it. A decade and a half later, 80 percent of the trees have survived the journey and are flourishing. Ma also managed to save 50 heritage dwellings, which were taken apart, brick by brick and beam by beam, marked, catalogued and reassembled as 26 dwellings not far from the private forest. Aman Resorts had joined the journey in 2009 and they brought in Kerry Hill Architects, old Aman hands. The result is Amanyangyun, or ‘nourishing cloud’, a stunning reimagining of Chinese heritage, both tangible and intangible.

To call it a hotel, or even a resort, would be a travesty. I prefer sanctuary—for the guests; for those ancient bricks; and for the trees, some of which are millenarian. As Ma

Dadong puts it in the short and moving documentary about the project which they screen for guests in Amanyangyun’s spiffy IMAX theatre, some of these trees were standing even before the first Chinese emperor was born. Amanyangyun’s own clutch of camphor trees includes the ‘Emperor’ tree, a venerable, gnarly specimen which guests are encouraged to ritually water on arrival.

Of the 26 antique dwellings, 13 will be sold as private residences to some extremely wealthy people. With completely reimagined interiors, no creature comforts have been sacrificed here. Apart from every enticement imaginable, the residences also have subterranean art galleries (but with lots of natural light), wine cellars and a private movie theatre (but, of course).

The other 13 villas, with bedrooms ranging from three to four in number which can be rented separately, make up the resort. There are elements an Amanjunkie will spot instantly; the delicate wooden furniture and the muted colour palette, for instance. Yet Amanyangyun, like every Aman resort, is distinctive and rooted in place.

My more modest Ming Courtyard suite, in the modern wing, consisted of two private courtyards, one with a gas fireplace, the other with a Japanesestyle soaking tub fashioned from a single slab of stone.

The lobby lounge; and (facing page) the many facets of the antique villas

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city shanghai

To call it a hotel, or even a resort, would be a travesty. I’d prefer to call it a sanctuary

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The stunning exterior of an antique villa at Amanyangyun outlook traveller • SePteMBer 2017

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shanghai

The terrace of the lakeside café; and (right) the inviting dining terrace

Past the entrance, there was a comfy bed facing a flat-screen TV which could be tucked away discreetly behind wooden screens. The bathroom had not one but two vanities, a cosy shower cubicle and another bathtub. All this meant a fair number of light fittings and figuring out the correct switches was a bit of a learning curve for me, even though one of their nice guest executives ran me through the functions diligently. I would have much preferred one of those hi-tech solutions where everything is controlled from the screen of an iPad or similar.

In Shanghai’s freezing pre-spring, the interiors were warm and fuzzy and hot water ran in the taps almost immediately. The ceiling was high and sloping, adding to a generous sense of space, which extended to the restaurants and other public spaces, and to the sprawling gardens and parklands overlooking the lake. We’ve always thought of space as the final frontier in luxury, but at Amanyangyun, it’s also about time; not just time which runs ever so slow in the shadow of the nourishing cloud, but also the travel-back-in-time kind.

When you’re not distracted by all the obscenely good food on offer (about which in just a bit), at the heart of the Amanyangyun experience is Nan Shufang. A cultural centre named after one of the reading pavilions in the Forbidden City, it is housed in a heritage villa redolent with the aroma of Chinese cedar. Here, when you’re not admiring nifty artifacts and furniture made of the coveted nanmu wood, you can join immersive sessions in everything from Chinese calligraphy to flower arrangement, guzheng playing and, of course, tea appreciation.

Yes, all this activity will make you hungry. But Amanyangyun, like every other Aman, has you covered, and there are several fine dining venues to choose from.

Deceptive simplicity seems to be a leitmotif with Aman Resorts. At Arva, the Aman’s Italian restaurant concept, dishes with simple one-word names and restrained descriptions reveal complex flavours and eclectic

The bar at Amanyangyun; and (right) an antique villa bathroom

plating. Their veal carpaccio was memorable. Nama, the Japanese restaurant, besides being Aman spelt backwards, also means ‘raw’ and serves traditional washoku cuisine. Launched only last year at select Aman resorts, it’s a culinary concept that took a year to develop.

Lots of sushi and sashimi here, served on beautiful handmade pottery that celebrates Japan’s wabi-sabi aesthetic. There’s also a bar and cigar lounge where I resisted ordering, with great difficulty, the Purple Afternoon Tea. In contrast, my breakfast of buckwheat and millet congee and Shanghai-style juicy dumplings was plainer but no less delightful.

All this was superb, of course, but the true culinary gem at Amanyangyun is Lazhu, serving Jiangxi cuisine, which, if you can imagine it, is fierier than the food of Sichuan. Certainly, the beef entrails cooked in soy chilli sauce was impressively spicy. This famous dish has inspired at least two poems, one by the aforementioned Wang Anshi and the other by Tang Xianzu, the Ming dynasty ‘Shakespeare of the Orient’. Much of the food at Lazhu, to be savoured along with views of a bamboo

Deceptive simplicity seems to be something of a leitmotif with Aman Resorts’ properties grove, harks back to the past.

Some of the recipes have been drawn from cookbooks that are over a thousand years old, but everything is served without unnecessary fuss or ceremony. ‘Crushed rice, spices and pork belly’ has been consumed with much love in Jiangxi for

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A Ming Courtyard suite (above); and the lush environs of Amanyangyun in springtime

centuries, and finds pride of place in the ‘food bible’ of Yuan Mei, a celebrated poet and gastronome of the Qing dynasty.

Some other gems I had the pleasure to sample: seared matsutake and lettuce roots (from the Song dynasty cookbook, Light Food From the Mountain), and braised Mandarin fish in chilli soy sauce (from the Qing dynasty cookbook, Master of the Wok). There are no desserts at Lazhu, but if you have an uncontrollable sweet tooth, you can order the crispy rice dumplings rolled in crystallised sugar.

Then there’s Hu Meng, their talented sommelier, who’s at hand to create dedicated pairings at each of Amanyangyun’s signature restaurants and who has promised to put some stunning Chinese wines on the Lazhu menu.

A retreat is not a treat without a spa. Ranged around a garden courtyard, the 2,840 sq m spa has 10 sprawling treatment rooms, soon to be joined by bathhouses which will incorporate a Russian banya and Turkish hammam. There are indoor and outdoor pools, a state-of-the-art gym and a tranquil yoga and pilates studio overlooking a reflection pond. The spa draws inspiration from traditional healing systems around the world, including

shanghai A stay at Amanyangyun is nothing short of a culinary safari

Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the shamanistic traditions of the Navajo Native Americans.

New age offerings like laser acupuncture will soon join the fray, Franck Chantoiseau, Amanyangyun’s calmly efficient resort manager told me.

Accompanied by the strains of the Gayatri Mantra, my 120-min Amanyangyun Signature Journey comprised an indulgent full body massage punctuated with herbal compresses, and drew on traditional Chinese techniques as well as Western lymphatic drainage. My therapist, Sri, hailed from Bali. You want deep pressure?, she asked. I murmured assent. She was true to her word. I’m not quite sure what she did, but I emerged a new man, all my cricks gone.

Naturally, I was teary-eyed when it was time to leave. But I was also happy to have witnessed an important moment in the evolution of what may well be the world’s most exclusive hotel brand. Subtle changes have been set in motion as the ambitious brand tries to stay relevant for a changing clientele: corporate restaurant concepts being rolled across several Amans, the quiet introduction of televisions, and, possibly a first for an Aman, a proper ballroom. Time, not space, is the final frontier in luxury, and Amanyangyun has made something beautiful, something real out of it, going where no one has gone before.

The skyscrapers of Lujiazui loom over the clouds. In the foreground is the iconic Jin M

# THE INFORMATION GettinG ther e Both Air India and China Eastern fly direct to Shanghai Pudong International Airport from New Delhi. Amanyangyun is about 50min drive from the airport. I flew Air China via Beijing and can vouch for their effusive hospitality (as a bonus, I got to visit Aman Summer Palace, another stunning Aman Resorts property in China). I was also able to fly to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, which is just 30min from Amanyangyun. the r esort The latest offering from Aman Resorts, Amanyangyun is situated in the Minhang district, 45min drive southwest of Shanghai’s city centre. Surrounded by a towering camphor forest and a 52

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tranquil lake, 13 antique villas and 24 Ming Courtyard suites are on offer. The property has been designed by Kerry Hill, while the landscaping is by Dan Pearson Studio. F&B venues include an Italian, a Japanese and a Chinese restaurant, the last serving authentic Jiangxi cuisine. There’s an IMAX cinema, a boutique offering jewellery, artwork and clothing by Chinese American designer Han Feng, a massive spa and a 200-seater banquet hall.

Chinese cultural activities can be enjoyed at Nan Shufang. TARIFF From $944 (Ming Courtyard suite), taxes extra. Includes daily breakfast for two, return transfer to Shanghai airport, and replenishment of the minibar (excluding alcoholic beverages) once a day. Additional amenities

for villas: 24 hours butler service, complimentary laundry (no dry cleaning) and valet pressing service. Exclusive for the Antique Villa 4-bedroom and Qing Antique Villa 4-bedrooms: replenishment of minibar once a day (including alcoholic beverages and house wine cellar selection).

Exclusive for the Antique Villa 5-bedrooms, Ming Antique Villa 4-bedroom and Amanyangyun Villa 4-bedrooms: free-flow minibar setup (including alcoholic drinks and house wine cellar selection). CONTACT +86-2180119999, aman.com

what to see & do >Downtown Shanghai is just a short drive away. You’ll have a hard time tearing yourself away from the sanctuary that

is Amanyangyun but, if it’s your first visit, at least take a walk on the historic Bund and admire Pudong’s unreal skyline. >Amanyangyun is in close proximity to the Qizhong Golf Course, the Qizhong Forest Sports City and the Qizhong Forest Park. > There are several water towns in the vicinity. > Aman Resorts has four properties in China now. Apart from Amanyangyun in Shanghai and Aman Summer Palace in Beijing, there’s Amandayan, Lijiang, informed by Nakhi culture and overlooking Lijiang’s old town, surrounded by snowcapped mountains and Amanfayun, Hangzhou, set in a centuriesold village, offering a glimpse of traditional China near West Lake, a Unesco heritage site.

Holidays with a Difference

Interact with local communities, witness the creation of splendid arts and crafts and marvel at the beautiful and varying landscapes of these off-beat destinations. From solar-powered farmstays and restored heritage homes to eco-friendly jungle lodges, meet the people who've made it their life's mission to promote sustainable practices and responsible tourism

A Jumbo

treat

From wild elephants and dancing peacocks to sprawling golF courses and inFinity pools overlooking the ocean, a luxe vacation in sri lanka has something For everyone. Sumeet KeSwani reports

The sunset pool at Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa

sri lanka

sumeet keswani

T

here are some holidays I remember for the sheer indulgence they allowed my otherwise frugal soul. Then there are those that remain etched in the mind for their bounty of natural sights and sounds. And then there is Sri Lanka, a potent mix of both.

To be entirely honest, despite its regular appearances in lists of cool tropical destinations to visit, I had never given this tiny island nation near the southern tip of India much thought. In my head, Sri Lanka registered as the navy blue jersey-clad cricket team that played against India all too frequently (and, to my delight, lost most of the big matches).

I was forced to reconsider my opinion, of both country and cricket team, on a recent visit. The 40-minute drive from Bandaranaike International Airport to the recently opened Shangri-La in the heart of Colombo took us through verdant fields on both sides of a smooth highway. The hotel is a towering 32-storey presence on the coastline, overlooking the Indian Ocean and the Galle Face greens. Spread over 10 acres, the Shangri-La complex is set to feature an office tower, two residential buildings and a high-end shopping mall—all in the making—apart from the hotel.

We were greeted by a spectacular dinner spread, replete with local and international flavours, at Table One, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant. It

Clockwise from left: local musicians welcome visitors at Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa; Chef Dharshan and Jacqueline Fernandez launched Kaema Sutra in Shangri-La Colombo in December 2017; Capital Bar and Grill serves an array of inventive whiskey cocktails; a Peking duck is cooked in a guest-facing oven at Shang Palace; and the Ministry of Crab is one of many popular eateries in the Dutch Hospital Precinct, Colombo 56

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featured live counters for kottu (local street food) and egg hoppers to extensive salad spreads, Japanese delicacies and Indian curries. The daily breakfast buffet here was equally overwhelming.

In typical tropical fashion, I spent the afternoon lounging by a shimmering pool on the sun terrace with a book and a wine cocktail. Swaying palm trees, panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and a persistent sea breeze made this spot ideal for some quiet time alone. Between soothing dips in the water, I happened to make acquaintance with the hotel’s guest singers, Oana from Romania and Kathryn Farmer from NYC. Later in the day, Oana would swoon us all with her piano rendition of Sam Smith’s ‘I’m Not The Only One’—the perfect accompaniment to Ceylon tea and towering platters of finger food in the Sapphyr Lounge. The view of the ocean from the floor-toceiling windows here could send anyone into an introspective spiral. But there was no time for brooding that sunlit evening, as we were swept away to the Old Colombo Fort for a two-hour city walk.

The area around the fort, a 10-minute walk from the hotel, is peppered with colonial architecture, the centrepiece being the Dutch Hospital Precinct.

The space originally hosted military barracks for the Portuguese before they surrendered to a Dutch siege in the mid17th century. The hospital, purportedly the oldest standing structure in the fort area, was built by the Dutch East India Company, hence the name. The British later transformed it into a commercial hub for tea traders. The post-colonial years saw it house apothecaries and local police departments at different times, and suffer many body blows in the civil war. In 2011, the erstwhile hospital was restored to its colonial-era glory and opened to the public. Today, the colonnade structure with its tiled roof, teak beams, five wings and two courtyards is a popular dining and shopping destination among the city’s youth and tourists alike, but its original name has persisted. Among its many restaurants is the Ministry of Crab, a world-famous venture by celebrity chef

Dharshan Munidasa and Sri Lankan cricketers Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, which ranked 29 in the top 50 Asian restaurants of the world.

Other attractions on the walk included a unique clock tower that once doubled as a lighthouse for ships arriving at Ceylon (old name for Sri Lanka), a currency museum (Central Point) with a 72-foot-high brass chandelier, a post office dating back to 1895, the former presidential residence, the Senate of Ceylon partly consumed by an invasive banyan tree, and an HSBC building that sported a historical logo featuring floating wooden chests of opium, the British coat of arms and chained unicorns (you can’t make this stuff up).

Thanks to its narcotic provenance, this logo was relegated to oblivion and is not found anywhere else in the world. The delightful walk ended, aptly, with pints of Lion beer in a harbour-facing balcony of the 180-year-old Grand Oriental Hotel.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan lions had mauled the Indian tigers on a cricket pitch in Dharamsala in the first match outlook traveller • march 2018

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city sri lanka shanghai A wild elephant roams the periphery of the Udawalawe National Park in search of a meal

The Udawalawe national park is famous for its wild elephant herds and bounty of bird life

sumeet keswani

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The 18-hole golf course at Hambantota Resort covers a coconut palm plantation and a sapphire mine; and (right) the resort’s interiors are dotted with elephant sculptures

of a three-ODI series. Ego bruised and appetite lost, I sat down for dinner at Shang Palace. One of Shangri-La’s signature restaurants, it offers ‘authentic regional Chinese cuisine’, something I’ve come to dread since a week-long visit to China in 2015 introduced me to their (mis)interpretations of vegetarian food.

But the chef had some decadent surprises up his sleeve. While the meat lovers on the table enjoyed king prawns, wok-fried crab, kung pao chicken and Peking duck cooked in a guest-facing oven and carved by the table, I hogged on the veggies— marinated cucumber with garlic and sesame dressing, vegetarian dumplings, mapo tofu and more. Named after a Chinese dynasty, Shang Palace serves regional cuisine from the provinces of Sichuan, Dongbei and Canton. Its architecture is inspired by traditional siheyuan houses and features old wooden beams merged with modern furnishings.

Lunch the next day, however, was not as sympathetic to the vegetarian cause. The Ministry of Crab in the Dutch Hospital Precinct has precious little to offer those who don’t eat seafood. As I munched on chunks of garlic bread and endured a serving of garlic rice

with kankung (water spinach) and mushrooms, I admired the painstaking details of the restaurant’s décor. The tablemats are orange in keeping with the Dutch history of the premises; crab-claw plants dot the tables; oysters are served in sets of six on a bat-shaped platter, in honour of the co-founding cricketers; the walls declare “Not all crabs are made the same”, with X-rays of the shellfish to prove the point; and the customer aprons urge you to “Keep Calm And Crab On”.

The crabs themselves come in 10 sizes— from ‘small’ to ‘crabzilla’ (over 2kg)— and in a variety of recipes. Though the

restaurant’s ‘no refrigerator’ policy limits its capacity, it goes through nearly 200 crabs a day. Chef Dharshan, who heads Shangri-La’s contemporary Kaema Sutra restaurant as well, sneered at the Indian invention of the term ‘non-vegetarian’ as much as at my suggestion of including more vegetarian options at the Ministry.

To be fair, a vegetarian shouldn’t have ventured into an eatery named after crustaceans in the first place. In a stroke of irony, though, the chef’s daughter Shanaia, a marine biologist in training, told me she is allergic to all shellfish, and gave me company in ordering every outlook traveller • march 2018

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One can enjoy a customised dining experience at Godawaya near the mouth of the Walawe river; and (left) lobby seating in Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa exudes homely warmth

dessert and beverage on the menu.

The first leg of our Lanka journey concluded at Capital Bar and Grill in the hotel, where we downed whiskey cocktails, while Kathryn doled out 60

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jazz songs in a shimmering gold dress and Jimmy Sax blew us away with his saxophone singles.

The next day, a five-hour drive along the coast took us to Hambantota,

a small fishing town that has been in international headlines over the last few years. Its port has been leased out to China for a 99-year period to settle debts with Beijing, which has obviously caused security concerns in India. Consequently, India has reportedly made a bid to buy out some of the said debt in exchange for a 40-year lease of the Hambantota airport, frequently called the ‘world’s emptiest airport’.

While the Colombo hotel was draped in an urban sophistication with its pillarless ballroom and sparkling chandeliers inspired by water lilies (the national flower), Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa is soaked in an earthly sentiment, reflected in its bamboo-mat wall hangings and omnipresent elephant sculptures made of recycled material. But the resort does not cut down on luxury.

Its three sprawling pools, kids’ recreation zones, lavish spa and 18-hole golf course

are redolent of the mythical paradise the hotel chain is named after. I spent my first morning there taking putting lessons from the director of golf, Romain Pourveer. The Frenchman was generous enough to lose a putting duel against me as a sly means of encouragement.

It doesn’t hurt that the resort is close to wildlife sanctuaries. My most vivid memory of a wild elephant is that of a mother charging at my jeep in Corbett.

So, during our early morning safari of the Udawalawe National Park, when big herds with multiple calves strolled past our vehicle within touching distance without raising so much of a trunk, I tossed all my tusker presumptions out of the proverbial window. There were so many peacocks performing the mating dance, their iridescent feathers unfurled, that you would be forgiven to think it was their national bird. Such was the idyllic mood of the day that water buffaloes shared lake waters with crocodiles that refused to move an inch. I wondered if a water truce had been pronounced, like in Kipling’s Seonee.

More elephant sightings followed, albeit in captivity, at a nearby camp where orphaned baby elephants and injured adults are sheltered before they can be released into the wild. Their delirious

Shangri-La’s Hambantota Resort offers tuk tuk safaris to local attractions

feeding sessions provide tourism fodder thrice a day. A chorus of “Awws” filled the air as the babies made a beeline for the giant funnels that poured milk into feeding tubes. Dusk held another treasure of wild sightings as I hopped on a rickety boat in Ambalantota for a safari on Walawe River. From various types of herons, hundreds of dormant bats and five species of eagles to a dozing fish owl and flocks of egrets blanketing whole trees in white, the river safari was an

open-air exhibition of wings. The route ended at the mouth of the river, separated from the ocean by a thin sandbank in Godawaya. From atop adjoining rocky cliffs, I witnessed the blazing sun set behind a coastal forest and the roaring ocean swallow the mouth of the river in a wild embrace. Maybe Milton was right: the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. It often does. But paradise is never entirely lost. Not in Sri Lanka.

# THE INFORMATION GettinG ther e Multiple airlines fly to Colombo.

A direct flight takes just over 3.5 hrs. A Cinnamon Air flight from Colombo to HambantotaWeerawila Domestic Airport costs upwards of $230. Another option is to take the road, and explore Galle Fort on the way (hotel taxi from LKR 57,000).

Visa Formalities for a 30-day tourist ETA ($20 for Indians) can be done at eta.gov.lk/slvisa. wher e to stay >Shangri-La Colombo offers 500

guestrooms and suites, and 41 serviced apartments, all with spectacular views of the Indian Ocean, Beira Lake and the city’s skyline. A Horizon Club Room grants you access to the Horizon Club Lounge on the top floor and other privileges (from approx. $280 per night; shangri-la.com/ colombo/shangrila). >Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa offers 300 spacious rooms, including 21 suites, surrounded by tropical gardens and in close proximity to the beach (from $129 per night for a 4N stay; shangri-la.com/hambantota/ shangrila).

what to see & do >COLOMBO: Take a stroll through the city’s colonial history with a guide from the Colombo City Walks team. Or take a colourful tuk tuk around the main sites, including the bustling outdoor bazaar of Pettah. Other ‘urban safaris’ on offer include a tour of the Art Street of Colombo, a visit to gemstone shops, and a trail covering four Buddhist temples around the city. A Discover Colombo stay package starts from $245 per room per night and includes any one of the tours. >HAMBANTOTA: Tee off at the 18-hole golf course spread across

a coconut palm plantation, a sapphire quarry, small lakes and sand dunes (from LKR 12,300).

The resort facilitates visits to nearby nature and wildlife sanctuaries, including Yala, Udawalawe, Lunugamvehera and Bundala National Parks. A river safari on Walawe can be taken from Ambalantota.

Shangri-La’s signature spa, CHI, offers a range of treatments in both properties. The Hambantota resort also has a 7m-high trapeze, and a water park. An artisan village within the resort lets you interact with local craftspeople n sumeet keswani at work. outlook traveller • march 2018

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city shanghai cover story river cruise

Lazy River beckons

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soumitra das boards a boutique vessel to revisit bengal’s rich and diverse heritage along the hooghly

The ganges voyager cruise ship leaves the Botanical Garden jetty outlook traveller • SePteMBer 2017

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s I stood on the sun deck, the Ganges Voyager gliding past the ghat steps leading down to the Hooghly, the ghosts of jute mills, the smoke stacks of brick kilns, the endless greenery, the spires and domes of temples and mosques, and the multi-storeyed apartment blocks that were created for the sole purpose of exterminating beauty, I could swear I heard the silky smooth notes of Louis Armstrong’s trumpet playing ‘Up a Lazy River’ in my ear.

The Ganges Voyager is a big ship, 56.5 metres long and 12.5 metres wide. On the topmost deck, I was 13 metres above the water level. Below me lay 28 suites spread between the main deck at the lowest level and the upper deck. It was a perfect morning to start our cruise, without a hint of the fog that usually obscures the sun around mid-February. The brightness was infectious, and even the South Korean guests could not resist its charm. The countless bathers—men, women and children—waved and called out to us, and the guests waved back enthusiastically.

Seven days later, when the ice had broken between us and we were waiting patiently for the ship to return to the jetty in Howrah, I chatted with Se Joon Park, who retired as CEO of Amway Korea. A muchtravelled man and an enthusiastic photographer, he admitted that the ship had been like a time machine that had transported him back to when his country was still poor. “Sixty years ago, we would not see any foreigners, except Americans, and we would wave to them. I feel nostalgic about the good old days,” he said, smiling.

The ship is a floating boutique hotel. The smorgasbord of cuisine on offer in the dining hall, the Ayurvedic unguents and cleansers in every spacious bathroom that could make rhino hide feel like satin, and the warm smiles of the staff made it feel like one.

My suite, like all the others, had a floor-to-ceiling

The Viceroy Suite in the floating boutique hotel

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river cruise

The Katra Mosque, built

by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan in 1723–24 68

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picture window commanding an excellent view of the river. It was the kind of luxury that zamindars of yore would have enjoyed on their barges.

On the evening before our journey started, the ship remained anchored at Shibpur, opposite the neglected Hooghly dockyard. The sun deck glowed with lights. Padding about barefoot was a tall, big-boned, moustachioed man, who turned out to be Raj Singh, managing director of the Exotic Heritage Group.

Singh started Heritage River Journeys in 2009 with one teakwood vessel made in Yangon. Now, he has two more vessels, Ganges Voyager and Ganges Voyager II, both made at Ghusuri in Howrah. “I am trying to tap a new market. I am bringing people who would not normally come here. In March, a group from Japan and not Europe will be here with us. We are doing pretty well. Sometimes we are fully booked, [at least] 60 to 70 per cent otherwise. We have bookings till 2019,” he said. In March they have plans to extend the trip to Dhaka.

The distinguishing feature of the cruise is that it dares to stray from the well-trodden paths. We reached Bandel after crossing Jubilee Bridge late in the afternoon. The ship was anchored in the middle of the river and a smaller boat took us to the ghat of the Hooghly Imambara. Its high walls and elegant minarets are visible from afar. The grand gateway soars beyond the magnificent hall and the even larger courtyard around which galleries are constructed several storeys above the busy road in front of it. The structure is intricately ornamented with geometric designs, though time has extinguished its polychrome opulence. The imambara is the biggest in West Bengal, constructed with the enormous fortune bequeathed by the illustrious Haji Muhammad Mohsin to charity. Starting in August 1845, it took 20 years to be completed. It is embellished with gem-hued glass in the lunettes above the doors of the hall, and hundreds of lamps hanging in the galleries, and chandeliers.

Verses of the Quran are inscribed on the wall, so is the will of Haji Mohsin in English.

Even though conservation work was undertaken by the trustees seven years ago to prevent the imambara from falling to pieces, I doubt it will be able to restore it to its former splendour. Not even with skilled masons from Murshidabad.

Dinner was at 6.30 pm; the Koreans preferred to dine early, plus we had a crack-of-dawn visit to Kalna scheduled. This small town is crowded with temples, some of the most beautiful in Bengal. Rickshaws took us to the Naba Kailash complex that boasts 108 Shiva temples, corresponding to the number of beads in a rosary. Built in 1809, they are arranged in two perfect concentric circles, 34 inside and 74 outside.

The Rajbari complex is just across the street, and both are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). All of the temples were constructed by the various maharajas of Burdwan and their wives at different periods. The Pratapeswar temple built in 1849; the remnants of the ancient Rasmancha, where the Krishna images were displayed during festivals; the oldest Lalji temple with 25 pinnacles dating back to 1739; the Giri Gobardhan temple with a roof resembling a hillock; and the tall Krishnachandra temple of 1751 vintage—all testify to the aesthetic sensibility of Bengal in those times. Thousands of delicate terracotta panels on the temple façades bring alive episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, scriptures, various avatars of gods and goddesses, exploits of Krishna, and battles of Durga and Kali against the forces of evil. Processions of soldiers with horses, elephants and camels too find a place in this inclusive representation of life.

As the vessel breasted the Hooghly on its upstream journey past Nabadwip, the humongous, ungainly domes of the new Mayapur temples heaved into sight.

This journey was a rare opportunity to appreciate the abstraction of Islamic art and the diversity of Hindu artistic expression. In Mayapur we experience a travesty of both and a glorification of the grotesque. I

wonder why it was included in an otherwise wellthought-out itinerary.

Early next morning, we gathered on the banks of the river for our trip to the bell metal, brass and copper foundries of sleepy Matiari, where artisans make utensils for rituals and everyday use. Fashioning utensils of various alloys is a major source of employment here, irrespective of caste and religion.

Some artisan families displayed their wares on their porch—plates and tumblers, buckets and spoons and ladles, and tiny knick-knacks.

We left the battlefield of Palashi behind. Biplab Majumdar, who helmed the vessel, said it was several kilometres away from the river. Our next stop was at Khoshbag where Siraj-ud-Daulah is buried amid a pretty garden. His grave is approached by a smooth

Visitors sitting outside the Hooghly Imambara

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Clockwise from top: inside the Hooghly Imambara; tonga ride around Murshidabad; the Baranagar Char Bangla complex 70

metalled path leading directly from the river through mango groves and paddy fields. Tranquillity prevailed in the village—quite a novelty for the South Korean guests.

As evening fell, the horizon turned dark, wiping out nature’s colours. The lights inside the wheelhouse and around the ship were switched off. In the darkness, the river turned into a dull grey

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mirror. Navigating entirely by the charts provided by the Inland Waters Authority of India, the ship hardly made any ripples as it glided forward and the phantoms of Hazarduari Palace and the grand Nizamat Imambara floated into view.

Baranagar in the Azimganj area of Murshidabad district lay right across the river. The Hooghly, which turns into the turbulent Bhagirathi beyond

Nabadwip, eats into the embankment in this region, threatening the temples located a few yards away.

Illegal brick kilns along the river have done serious damage to the banks, and entire villages having been swallowed by the waters.

The Char Bangla Shiva temples of Azimganj, with gable-shaped roofs modelled on thatched huts, are rare specimens of Bengal temple art. They were constructed in the mid-18th century by Rani Bhabani of Natore. The surfaces of these brick structures are animated by exquisite terracotta panels depicting deities like Durga and Kali vanquishing demons.

Each temple is like a perfectly made jewel box, and the ruins of a large arched brick structure stand next to them. Though supposedly protected by the ASI, there is little evidence of care.

Baranagar is a quiet village. The huts have granaries made of bamboo strips. In the midst of a field stands the superb Bhabanisvara temple with an inverted lotus on top. Rani Bhabani’s derelict palace is also located here.

Next, we stopped at the jetty in front of Hazardurai Palace, where tongas were waiting to take us to the grand but stark Katra Mosque, once a great seminary of learning. I opted for an electric rickshaw, locally known as a toto. Nawab Murshid Quli Khan constructed this brick mosque in his old age, and is buried under the entrance staircase. Its

most striking features are its two tall corner towers with loopholes along the top.

The sprawling Hazarduari Palace on the riverfront was constructed between 1829 and 1837 during the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah when he was under the thumb of the East India Company. No wonder it was designed by a European, Duncan McLeod, and was modelled on Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. It is called Hazarduari because of its thousand doors, of which only 100 are real, the rest being architectural illusions. The only objects of interest inside are the oil paintings of various rulers of Murshidabad. They are poorly restored, though, with overlays of paint. Siraj-ud-Daulah’s portrait hangs in one obscure corner. Ten years after the palace was built, the nawab himself constructed the enormous imambara to its north.

So what is the luxury quotient of the trip? Haim Shuster, CEO of the upmarket Geographical Tours based in Tel-Aviv, got it right when he said: “You don’t sell the boat out of the context of India. Within the context of India, it is a luxury experience.”

Terracotta reliefs at the Char Bangla complex

Exotic Heritage Group’s 7N Ganges Voyager heritage cruises run from September to March, while the Life of the Ganges cruises are available from March to May; $2,258, twin sharing; info@gangesvoyager.com, gangesvoyager.net.in outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

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Chinese

crackers

The culinary equivalenT of Delhi’s beloveD hazaar ki ladi, These are manidipa mandal’s Top five picks for fine chinese Dining in The ciTy, for ThaT occasion when inDian is Too homely anD you wanT a surefire aDvenTure, buT noThing Too ouTrÉ

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SHANG PALACE Occasion: With the ladies (or lads/ladettes) you lunch with Ambience: Lively and naturally well lit at lunchtime, more dramatic for dinner, the décor here is evocative without straying into cliché; four private dining rooms, of which two can be combined for a private party with live music; there is also some al fresco space; smart dressing recommended

A

Shangri-La classic marquee, this restaurant has location and value to its advantage, alongside skill.

For all that, this place is exceptionally fun—the music is decidedly poptastic, not Orientalist in the least.

The Shangtastic Dim Sum Lunch cannot be surpassed at about `1,500, with 14 types of dim sum baskets (steamed, fried and baked), plus a choice of mains and some very interesting homemade ice creams. Just be aware the swift service for such a huge panoply means some dishes arrive steaming hot, literally. A lot of on-the-table drama is designed into the menu. The Yunnan-style skewers arrive still smoking over a charcoal brazier (unfortunately, the venting is wanting, so the brazier is quickly repossessed by the waitstaff ); even a rice dish (one of the best we’ve had) is mixed tableside; hot-stone cooking and on-order carving of a Beijing roast duck feature too. There are expat chefs representing not only different regions but techniques: dim sum, wok, barbecue. While the mainstay for the brand has been Cantonese and Yunnan cooking, some Sichuan features because we are in India, and some Dai surprises.

Ingredients are selected for perfect flavours, with no compromise led by pecuniary motives, like using the Thai ‘Sichuan pepper’ instead of the real thing. Also imported: pickled Chinese mustard, fermented bean and chilli pastes.

Presentation marches in lockstep with skill—the crockery makes one come over all touchy-feely, an alcove filled with pretty jars of Chinese teas is lined with their names in Mandarin carved on the wooden panel. A jasmine green samovar is on the go, right next to the Dragon Well and smoky Lapsang Souchong, blooming flower teas and tight pearls. The dim sum are decidedly decorative, with spectacular colour and garnish supplementing their elegance of shape. The private dining rooms—one has a wall full of Chinese coins for kitty luck, another a contemporary wallpaper inspired by Ming china and the largest Lazy Susan in town (serves 10). The main room has lights inspired by warriors’ shields shingled overhead, with Art Deco flourishes at floor level.

Surprisingly for a Chinese restaurant, they have a startlingly extensive sake collection, featuring even in the signature cocktail list, and Japanese whiskeys too.

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Left to right: dim sum chef Ye Haijun, wok chef Luo Jiangtao and BBQ chef Kong Fanyi

And the dessert menu here features Oriental flavours in technically European recipes.

Order: If ordering à la carte, we recommend the soupy xiao long bao, the pan-fried water chestnut and mushroom dumpling, the spicy edamame and pickled mustard leaves cheung fun roll (hot yet balanced), the sublime eggplant puff (baked, not fried, to perfection, gently sweet yet umami), Delhi’s best char siu bao, a delightful crackling prawn ball and delicious tenderloin dumpling. On the fancier end, you have scallops har gao with black truffle, and a crispy Iberico pork bun. Then try a couple of skewers to share—crispy pork belly or cumin lamb, eggplant or leek and wild mushrooms. The cold appetisers deserve special mention, even the marinated cucumber being moreish, and also the cold chicken. Hot favourites include the sauna prawns grilled on a lava stone (but why not push the boat out with lobster?), and the Yunnan mushroom and tofu wantons with spicy tomato salsa. The pork belly is super crisp. The spicy-sour Dai tomato soup is a revelation, but the Yunnan-style Crossing the Bridge has more drama if you have a bottomless stomach. The cumin-scented Chengdu lamb is worth making room for, amid the impressive variety of seafood and pork and tenderloin dishes. The fresh corn ice cream with popcorn is especially fun for dessert if you went the Shangtastic way; we loved the table-torched jasmine tea brûlée and the citrus-freshened sticky toffee pudding, each of which comes with a side of ice cream (almond and mango respectively) and are each so good you won’t glance at the ices twice.

Contact: Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel, 19, Ashoka Road, Janpath, +91-11-4119 1040, shangri-la.com

Spicy Duck Occasion: For the parents’ golden anniversary, with nostalgia getting an update, by way of contemporary China, for the August Moon regulars Ambience: Old-fashioned, overstuffed comfort signalling the luxury of consistency and constancy, this is the old Blue Ginger warming up to the Far East, with spicy accents

We hear there is a bloodless revolution imminent, though, with a new chef coming in from China even as we go to press, said to be a particularly dab hand at pulling his own noodles, and talk of a more interactive menu, cooking classes, and more seasonally inflected offerings. However, the grounding in Sichuan and Cantonese terroirs stands steadfast.

Y

ou will find lots of authenticity, with recipes Order: Black and white yin-yang har gao to set the tone, reminiscent of the 1970s and '80s—think then the more-modern steamed edamame dumpling prawns fu yung, kung po chicken (but no, with truffle oil, the exquisite spring roll with mushroom sorry, they do not do chilli chicken, really they don’t, milk, and thousand-layer radish puff with mock ham. not even on request), a deep-fried sweet and sour fish The wok-fried shimeji mushroom with dry chilli and with pineapple, dan dan noodles, as well as Sichuan green beans is superlative; and the champagne pork and Cantonese recipes from former head chef Leong’s chop is based on a modern classic of China (where they mother-in-law’s kitchen, continued in homemade use pork belly). Duck owns the marquee here, and the sauces concocted from imported raw ingredients, Peking duck is popular (add on the deep-fried duck such as infused oils, chilli and others. Indian palate bone), but you might change it up with the signature preferences are honoured, but the condiments on the black bean duck with celery. The deep-fried, then table are the real thing. The dim sum category is also steamed Chilean sea bass is spiced right, the Sichuanextensive, instituted originally by Leong’s nephew style bean paste warming rather than searing. For (both expats have since headed home) and marrying vegetarians, the mildly spicy Ma Po tofu with pickled authentic flavours with novel colours and shapes. veg would not be ‘settling’, alongside the clean, subtle Vegetarians will find excellent eating here, despite flavours and textures of asparagus with broccoli, the gamey name—there is a surprising array of mock bamboo pith and wolfberries. meats and mushrooms (many also imported, like Contact: Taj Diplomatic Enclave, 2, Sardar Patel Marg, the shimeji from Tokyo, complementing the local +91-11-26110202, tajhotels.com portobello). There is also a rather intriguing bunch of cocktails, Old-fashioned seating reminiscent of the erstwhile Blue at the Spicy Duck Ginger’s flair—Smoke of Dragons, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Rose, and my favourite, the delightfully soused-sounding Qing Ceremony.

The desserts are innovative, some taking a cue from flavours people relish in contemporary China— like the sharing-sized chocolate fondue warmed up with ginger and served with fresh fruit and banana spring rolls, a chilli and chocolate mousse, as well as a kueh-like snow rainbow cake that seems to upgrade childhood jellies into something rather posh, almost adult. This too, the Duck claims as authentic— because, of course, like the winging fowl, food travels through geography and time alike. Who’s to say how far back one must go to be ‘traditional’? outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

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Baoshuan Occasion: For the out-of-town cousins who want the latest, and prize style more than substance, with money to flourish Ambience: Streaming cheerful light by day, Orientalist fantasy by night; smokers and sun worshippers will like the terrace overlooking the golf course; single small private dining room

H

ai-hai, Oberoi—your aim is so much lower than your grasp. ‘Chinese junk’, my companion’s translation of the name, turns out to be curiously apt. The window dressing is exquisite, as befits the outrageous expenditure of the hotel’s refurbishment—literally (white-embroidered chinoiserie-inflected blinds) and figuratively. Michelinstarred London chef Andrew Wong is advertised on the menu as ‘mentor’, though said menu feels awfully slapdash in hand for a fine-dine venue. The upholstery is red and dragon-splashed. Urns and lacquer red accents add layers of cliché. Dishes seemingly aim to surprise, while obscuring their true shape, flavour, ingredients and origins on the page. Once you strip away the dramatic presentation and garnishes, you are left with mostly Chinjabi comfort food, masala maar ke, in odd juxtaposition to a few supposed British Chinese classics from Wong’s own stable (this one he merely lends a name and not secrets to, we suspect).

Seriously, the spice levels are mouth puckering—even in the ‘mild’ dishes like the sesame-dressed chicken, with the Thousand Chilli Chicken living up to its sole promise: red heat. Portion sizes are ‘small sharing plates’, mostly threesomes, because lucky. It’s the stuff

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family-friendly ribbings are made of, and you can tease one another for every posh-sounding choice that turns up a neighbourhood familiar in masquerade. The meal begins, alarmingly, with papad. The vaunted cumin lamb skewers are entirely serviceable kebabs. The all-show snow mushrooms and the Dai tomato soup are very hot, the latter painfully rasam-ish. The banana dessert turned out to be a chocolate egg devoid of fruit for all its on-table drama. Service is all over the place, rather than five-star attentive. The waitstaff try to steer us away from the dish we ultimately liked best, because most guests do not fancy it, which says something of the clientele. Clearly, Delhi is lapping this circus up, either because they are steadfast Oberoi aficionados or because it’s that new place to be seen at. However, we advise moderation—to you and the wielders of the chilli oil.

Order: Note, there is no fish on the lunch menu (come for dinner if you wish kingfish), though other seafood is present, and dim sum hold court, minimising mains to a mere trio; there are no dim sum in the evening.

For drama, choose clear shrimp dumpling with citrus foam, XL seared scallop cheung fun, 63 degree tea egg and Xian city ‘lamb bun’ DIY deconstructed burger. In better taste are the cute carrot puffs (though there are far better across town), the pork and prawn dumpling with crackling, the gailan and poached egg yolk roll, Xinjiang barbecued lamb, sesame buttered chicken, wasabi prawn, and Wong’s tableside rendition of tired Peking duck, à la London of the 1960s. Bow out of the dessert.

Contact: The Oberoi, Dr. Zakir Hussain Marg, +91-11-24363030, oberoihotels.com

Oberoi loyals will love Baoshuan despite its disappointing food

China Kitchen

Peking duck; and (below) Ma Po tofu with spring onion and black beans

Occasion: Entertaining business associates from the mainland and the homeland—at one table; the Grand Dame of Delhi’s Chinese eateries Ambience: Double-level lounge-and-dine where all kitchens are show kitchens with warm, experienced staff; dress semi-formal, ideally

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n paper and in person, China Kitchen takes history seriously. The aim is uncompromising authenticity here—and they clearly have it right, after a decade in the business. There are no behindthe-scene stations—the entire cooking process, from the prep of peeling cucumbers to crafting bao is on show: spectacular! They were doing the drama before dinner theatre even began to trend. The ground-floor ambience is rich with layers of texture and colour—dark wood grain, latticed screens, highly glazed crockery in brilliant scallion green and Han blue, an installation of mooncake moulds, traditional crockery and kitchenware, including the famous duck oven. There is a suggestion of the Chinatown shophouse, borne out by the new photo-filled menu—a nod to the faux dishes advertising the wares of Chinese chophouses and hawkers, and also the old-fashioned elegance of a noble home. The team refuses to substitute spices—if you cannot get Chinese chillies, a whole host of dishes comes off the menu, because Indian chillies make you cry and Chinese ones just warm and soften you up—and there never is such a thing as chilli chicken in China, I am informed firmly. There are even hand-pulled noodles. At the same time, they ensure fresh produce that can be locally grown is just that—fresh, from their own private farm over

by Chattarpur. Even the duck is hand-reared at ‘home’, fed per special recipes. The menu is comprehensive, with seasoned chefs from all across China representing almost every region. It is not starchy stiff about tradition, though, with playful touches like miso mayonnaise, tobiko and truffle. There’s fanfare enough to please the choosiest customers: fried whole sea bass, Japanese quails, Chairman Mao’s favoured braised spicy pork. At the same time, many of the dim sum are relatively unadorned—classic in presentation, with the chef’s dexterity and a balance of flavours and textures doing the speaking. Spring rolls, puffs, bao, wonton, guo tie, all are executed with exactitude.

The private dining rooms, incidentally,

match their chefs’ origins—Sichuan, Hubei, Guangzhou, Anhui, Hunan—and offer a music menu as well as gustatory signatures. It’s not just good for business and grown-ups’ pleasures, but family-friendly too: children under five dine free from the kids’ menu, and there is a Sunday brunch.

Order: You cannot go wrong if you let the waitstaff guide you here. The red chilli dim sum with shrimp mousse tells you what real Chinese chillies are like. Also winning points are the prawn shao mai with flying fish roe and miso mayo; the crystal dumplings with peas, sweet corn, woodear fungi and celery. An excellent appetizer is the warm mushrooms with spring onion and aged vinegar, matched with the cold poached chicken with sesame sauce and peanuts. The Peking duck is legendary here, but the twice-cooked crispy duck with five spice, zest and Chinese wine is an excellent way to ring in the changes. The chilli and pepper crabs are also specialities of the house, and the sizzling tenderloin is great too, and the sea bass a winner for restraint. Add some sweet-sour eggplant, and the Chinese ‘greens’: asparagus, pok choy, snow peas with water chestnut. The spicy udon noodle with Taiwan sate sauce is another way to stretch your culinary horizons, perhaps with the northern-style fried rice for purists—this is one place where waitstaff seem to keep the starches as a last (re)course, as tradition recommends, instead of bringing it to table pronto à la indienne. There are alcoholic chocolate cigars for afters (they also have serious tobacconists’ offerings in the lounge), but we recommend the homemade sorbets and ice creams (champagne peach, sesame chocolate, lychee lime, two teas—the flavours delight), and the tea truffles (jasmine blossom, chrysanthemum, oolong). They also do a Chinese egg tart, though it has lost top billing for us after the last menu update!

Contact: Hyatt Regency Delhi, Bhikaji Cama Place, +91-11-6677 1334, delhi.regency.hyatt.com outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

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Crispy fried scallops; and (left) stick to classy casual dressing at HKC

The Hong Kong Club Occasion: For the evening to impress (on Friday and Saturday nights there is a couples charge of `3,000 past 10pm, and it is mainly couples’ entry) Ambience: One-stop night-on-the-town destination; dress classy smart casual; lively mood music and lighting deepens with the night; though spacious with a distinctly no-dance floor (so you can keep your heels on); dinner-only, open till the wee hours (entry closes at 1am but open till 4am); no sports shoes or open footwear

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his two-level detached F&B venue at the characterful Andaz boasts a kerb-side entry, without running the gauntlet of the hotel lobby. On your way in, you get to marvel at the wine... well, cave, really. Upstairs is where you have the option to look down on the pretty bar or watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen. Downstairs, you can perch at the island bar or enjoy the more lounge-y seating for dinner. Artwork bows to chinoiserie but is a more contemporary interpretation.

Prettily veined stone tops the tables, cut-glass barware, uniforms that make us feel a shade dowdy—no expense is spared to spell exclusivity, but minus the stiff upper lip, or any lip (service is almost casual, and waitstaff could stand to speak up a tad more).

The private dining rooms are just that—private, carefully tucked away, with their own bar (and bartender). The Club promises creativity in spades—a fictional backstory of a lovelorn traveller who recreates the setting of a lost love (look for her face) backs up the name of an actual bona fide institution that is, in fact, a gentlemen’s club, but the ladies seem to love this version. The cooking is based in Cantonese traditions, with six expat chefs to support Chef Alex Moser’s vision of a modern Chinese table, dished up with local Indian produce (à la sister eatery Annamaya, Andaz’s main diner, which grows its own microgreens right on the

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shelves). Why cart Pommery mustard from France, when you have kasundi right here, he asks—and we cannot but agree it is excellent with our pork belly (admittedly imported for the perfect crackle and ooze). Instead of the crowd-pleasing Peking duck, HKC does its Cantonese cousin, sandwiched in pretty scalloped steamed buns. And the seafood dishes, cleverly, do not name their fish—the freshest off Kerala’s coast feature, the recipes carefully chosen to go with red snapper or bass, whatever’s the catch of the day. The same goes for the greens, switched around seasonally. There’s adventure aplenty for those who favour the unfamiliar, though—ever tried chicken feet, or cuttlefish?

A zodiac in ceramic is the axis around which the bar revolves, literally and figuratively. There are signature cocktails for whatever animal you might be—or any you prefer—with lucite coasters to match. The Sleeping Dragon is smoking, quite seriously, orangeliqueur indulgent as the dragon-born purport to be, with chocolate bitters grounding all the Scotch and martini fumes up top. Chariot has smoke-smudged straw pegged on a champagne flute with a faux sugar cube dissolving, apple and clove liqueur fizzing forth.

Order: At the bar, definitely beg for a taste of sister Juniper’s very own Delhi Sapphire—that cheeky bottle is a favourite prop for selfies, but the infusion of gin with orange, cumin, cardamom, coriander and vanilla is perfection alone, and sublime in a Qilin (with watermelon and gold leaf ). Also delightful is Sun Wukong: the monkey’s concoction adds yuzu and banana liqueur, yet isn’t candy sweet—the banana chip, leaf and charred cinnamon stick garnish is a pretty decent clue of its balance (partner with the spiced nuts on the bar, naturally). You definitely want the fried rice (bamboo plus red) with preserved olive leaves, all the way from China, and the duck salad with pomelo, bean sprouts and peanuts, but those are mere sides. Trust us: get the crushed cucumbers with black vinegar and the asparagus with mustard oil first, as well as the pickled vegetables wrapped in more vegetable with peanut mustard to dip; also the veggies with onion seed. Dim sum: cauliflower, red and Chinese cabbage, yes, and also the lobster, crab and spinach. Definitely the pork belly and the Hong Kong duck, also the duck salad with pomelo. You can’t go wrong with any of the desserts, even the ridiculous-sounding tipsy brownie with Old Monk and hazelnut gelato in a chocolate bowl.

Contact: Andaz Delhi, 1 Aerocity, +91-8588842919, thehongkongclub.in

Mizoram Beckons Welcome to the land of peace and tranquility

Directorate of Tourism Government of Mizoram New Secretariat Complex, Khatla, Aizawl Mizoram 796005 MIZORAM TOURISM

+91 389 2333475 mizoram.tourism@gmail.com tourism.mizoram.gov.in

heritage amrapali museum

Legacy REIMAGINED Over the centuries, indian jewellery has evOlved intO an art fOrm with astOunding designs and skilled wOrkmanship. a new museum in jaipur pays tribute. by ranee sahaney 82

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andering through the hushed confines of the newly-opened Amrapali Museum in Jaipur, I find myself transfixed at how Indian jewellery has so deeply imbibed the cultural complexities of each region. This geographic diversity lends itself to a rich tradition of ornamentation.

At once a celebration of the human form and its timeless linkages with cosmic forces, the glorious pieces on display here are a vivid reminder of how the art of ornamentation is an integral part of ordinary life.

Oppi Untracht, the Finnish author of Traditional Jewelry of India, in his long years of research in the Indian subcontinent, observed that as social hierarchies evolved, particular forms of jewellery, especially those made of valuable metals, became a means of differentiating social status. Design vocabulary varies from state to state, community to community, though the most extensive use of symbols in jewellery is evident in rural and tribal societies. Across the country, artisans have inventively used raw materials at hand and fashioned them with ancient processes, thus reflecting the evolution of society right from prehistoric times.

On display at the museum is a stunning variety of chains, pendants, amulets, head and hair ornaments, earpieces, torso and shoulder ornaments, belts and buckles, armlets, wristlets and cuff bracelets, bangles and bracelets, rings and toe rings, and anklets, sourced from the far reaches of the Indian subcontinent by Rajiv Arora and Rajesh Ajmera, founders of the luxury brand Amrapali Jewels, over 50-odd years.

My wanderings here remind me of the depth and range of India’s abiding love affair with the art and craft of jewellery design and ornamentation, a love that appears to blur borders. Stopping by at a particularly stunning piece from Gujarat, I notice how the physical boundaries between Rajasthan and Gujarat vanish as one encounters numerous similarities between the jewellery of the two regions. Yet, the crafters have dipped into their respective indigenous traditions and resources to create a sumptuous repertoire of jewels.

Guided personally around the showpieces by Rajiv and Rajesh, novices have much to learn here. For example,

though we have few samples from ancient times today, Clockwise from above: the there is enough evidence of the superb design quality and museum’s technical skill prevalent in the humble karkhanas and entrance; a chuski royal ateliers of the past. Various regions are recognised mouthpiece for a for the birth and development of India’s jewellery. Jaipur, hookah and a for example, along with Varanasi and Lucknow, was the groom’s crown from Himachal centre of the finest minakari (enamel) work. I encounter Pradesh; notes on delectable mina work on silver and gold pieces on display.

India’s bejewelled The kundan items are a reminder of the exquisite work traditions; and of artisans in the karkhanas of Bikaner, Punjab and Delhi. exquisite The embellishment of kundan reached its zenith under ornamentation from around the the Mughals, who adorned the reverse side of kundan country pieces with mina work, giving the wearer a more luxurious ornament. Showcased in a set of beautiful vases and ittradan from Pratapgarh is the cameo-like beauty of thewa (pierced gold work over transparent glass). In preponderance are elaborate pieces from the south, featuring the Mesopotamian-style granulation technique.

Silver holds a special place in the saga of Indian jewellery, depicted wonderfully in tribal regions. The range of traditional tribal and rural jewellery, with their indigenous symbolism, design and craftsmanship, has been a dynamic feature of India’s tradition. For centuries, it has been the mainstay of ornamentation of rural women, as an indicator of their wealth and social status, and a safe and easily disposable currency to tide over rainy days.

Though its inspirations have been limitless, often shaped by cross-cultural interpretations, it isn’t surprising that Indian jewellery craft has remained rooted in tradition.

Amrapali Museum, K-14/B, Ashok Marg, C-Scheme, Jaipur, 0141-5191100, info@amrapalimuseum.com amrapalimuseum.com, amrapalijewels.com outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

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spa in the city sawadhee

Eastern Pleasures

Finding an authentic thai spa in delhi is like looking For a needle in a haystack. But we’ve done the hard work For you

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few years ago, when Vibha Khanna Rastogi decided to set up a plush spa in Delhi that would spoil her customers silly, she also wanted to offer the real deal. And that’s how a little slice of Thailand came to life in a sleepy commercial complex in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj neighbourhood.

The Sawadhee Traditional Thai Spa is a sprawling 5,000 sq ft affair, making it possibly the biggest standalone spa in Delhi. Enter through the appropriately grand entrance, and you’ll find yourself in a calm, soothingly lit space. Treatment rooms are upstairs, comprising five singles and two for couples.

Each room is equipped with its own steam and shower facilities, while each of the couple rooms boasts its own jacuzzi as well.

If you’re lucky, Vibha herself will be there to greet you. She has made a mark for herself working tirelessly for the education of underprivileged kids, and it’s her gentle, healing spirit that emanates through this space. Even if she’s not around, you’ll still be in the good hands of her well-trained staff.

And that’s where Sawadhee really stands out from the crowd. The whole staff has been trained by therapists from Thailand; some of the therapists are from that hallowed land too.

As you walk up the stairs to your treatment room, you could be somewhere in that blessed land of massages. Subtle design elements and carefully chosen props emphasise the Thainess of the sanctuary-like setting.

On their recommendation, I opted for the twohour Thai Oil Therapy, a dry Thai massage followed by an oil treatment. I could not have chosen better.

Although prosaically named, it was utterly indulgent, and my therapist, Annie from Bangkok, clearly a master of the form.

Thai massages focus on stretching the muscles and stimulating the natural flow of ‘sen sib’ or the 10 energy lines of the Thai healing system. There should be no pain or discomfort, and you should end up feeling deeply relaxed. Some even call it assisted yoga. I can assure you that the massage was bone-crackingly authentic. This was followed by a deep tissue oil massage (my choice; you can choose an aromatherapy oil massage for the second hour instead). The oil massage came as a welcome counterpoint to the dry Thai massage, and I’d recommend you add on an oil-based relaxing ritual to any Thai massage you may be trying. Needless to say, I emerged renewed, ready to take on the travails of a travel writer’s life.

Sawadhee has everything from face treatments (including a gold facial) to hardy scrubs and luxurious wraps on offer. More luxurious therapies come with names like ‘A Fine Romance’ and ‘Pamper Yourself’.

Apart from Thai, there’s Swedish and Javanese too.

Proximity to the airport means it’s not unusual to see customers trundling in with their strolleys. Of these they are promptly divested before they head upstairs for an hour or two of bliss.

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amit dixit

Sawadhee Traditional Thai Spa, Plot No.3, Local Shopping Center, Pocket C-9, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, +91-11-40576340/41, +91-8750023456, reception@sawadhee.com, sawadhee.com, open all days 11am-10pm (last appointment: 8.30pm).

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TRAVEL PROMOTION

the luxury of jungles – The Solluna ReSoRT, CoRbeTT !!

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striking blend of nature’s ecstasy and great luxury, The Solluna Resort in Jim Corbett is one of the best wilderness resorts in India.

Solluna Resort is among the only few properties in Jim Corbett that has been planned and executed according to basic five senses namely vision, smell, taste, touch, and hearing and also the five elements namely earth, water, sky, fire and air.

This longest river front resort is in a magnificent and sumptuous valley of Marchula which is 35 KM away from Ramnaga railway station.

Solluna offers different types of theme-based cottages, captivating you with an array of amenities and excellent surroundings. The

Jungle Safari in Corbett is the best way to explore the ample wildlife concealed in the Jungle.

Calm, The Touch, The Fragrance, The Sound, and The Sight, are five luxurious cottages available at the resort. These cottages are unique and different from each other which promise you a world class stay.

The resort offers fun-filled adventure sports for all age groups like Angling, Trekking, Nature Walk, Gypsy Drive, Sightseeing, Burma Bridge, Natural River crossing and

many more. Jungle Safari in Corbett is the best way to explore the ample wildlife concealed in the Jungle.

These Safaris will take you through the buffer zone of the Jim Corbett while covering the central areas of the park with the stay at luxurious boutique wildlife resort in Corbett, the visit to the Jungle with all the adventure activities doubles the fun and excitement of the holiday.

Solluna also provides an elite romantic setup at the river side for couples to spend a quality time with their loved one, gazing at the beautiful surroundings, enjoying bonfire lit evening under the star studded sky with live guitarist performance and treat yourself with delicious BBQ snacks.

Pack your bags to the best destinations in 2018 Long weekends in 2018 are something all of us are looking forward to. One of the first things a traveller does at the start of the year is look at the calendar and mark all the long weekends that make exciting breaks. Each break is an opportunity to check off a destination from the bucket list.

To help you plan vacations in advance, we have suggested the best destinations/ hotels to visit in each long weekend of 2018.

TRAVEL PROMOTION

When luxury meets comfort

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he Grand Dragon Hotel Ladakh located at a height of 11,562 ft. in Leh, Ladakh in the Himalayas, holds a place of pride in the hearts of the locals as it was the first international class hotel in this remote and isolated outpost.

Set up in 2007, this hotel, built despite the challenges of being located at a high altitude, redefined hospitality in Leh and set a benchmark for other establishments that came up subsequently.

Today, The Grand Dragon Hotel continues to uphold the high standards

with contemporary appointments, including Ladakhi elements such ceilings with teak wood cornices known as as Shing Tsak that can also be spotted at the Tsemo palace tower in Leh. The solid wood furniture has intricately carved details inspired from floral and geometric motifs commonly seen and

and is the preferred hotel for upscale travellers looking for luxury and comfort.

Owned and managed by the ABDU family, it is part of the Dragon Group of Hotels.

Known for their passion for hospitality, the ABDU family has been in this business for the past three decades.

Minutes from the airport and situated in heart of the city center, The Grand Dragon Hotel was developed and conceptualized by brothers Gulam Mustafa and Ghulam Mohiuddin. This indigenously designed hotel’s architecture incorporates the famous Rabsal tradition of Ladakh, visible in the window treatments and balconies.

Keeping the tradition of Ladakh alive in its interiors and exteriors, the hotel has created luxurious guest rooms and suites.

The spacious suites are elegantly designed

used in monasteries. The furnishings in colourful brocades in rich, jewel tones have been specially designed and commissioned with a motif called Koshen, while the hand woven Khabdan rugs and artwork on the wall displaying Ladakhi jwellery add warmth to the interiors.

The Grand Dragon offers two dining options, serving a range of cuisine, from local thukpa a noodle soup, and momos -stuffed dumplings, to regular Indian fare as well as Chinese and European dishes. The Zasgyath coffee shop located at the lobby level has a cheerful interior, ornamented with colorful frescoes that incorporate more than 300 flowers in its intricate artwork. An open terrace with alfresco seating during the summer months is an ideal place to view the Stok mountain

range. Tusrabs, a more intimate dining area, takes visitors back to ancient times through the black and white photographs lining the walls depicting the Ladakh of yore.

Tastefully decorated with kitchen essentials collected by the Abdu family and preserved through generations, grace the shelves and give an insight into how the locals live.

The hotel is also designed with spacious banquet areas to host conferences for up to 200 people and other celebratory events both indoors and outdoors in the sprawling lawns. The hotel is well equipped with modern conference facilities such as audio-visual equipment and the team is well trained to assist in arranging special themed events, evening soirees with bon fires and local cultural shows.

TRAVEL PROMOTION

hyAtt regenCy luCknow

A truly unforgettAble experience

T Located in the business district of Lucknow, Gomti Nagar the hotel is a delightful blend of an ideal location with a pleasing ambience.

he Lucknow city is immensely rich, when it comes to traditional history and it is also a fast-growing city of India. Last year, Hyatt opened the doors to its 27th property in none other than the City of Nawabs Lucknow.

Hyatt Regency Lucknow is ideally situated in the vibrant business district of Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar. All contemporary styled spacious guestrooms feature luxurious bedding, floor–to-ceiling windows and ergonomic workspace. Over 18,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space including a 4200 sq. ft. Regency Ballroom. From authentic Chinese, Italian and Awadhi cuisines to healthy menus, an exceptional dining experience awaits you. To help you de-stress and unwind, the hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool, 24 hour fitness centre, a full-service spa with pampering spa

that lend a sense of place.

Traditional recipes, subtle flavours and modern cooking complement the contemporary ambience of LukJin. The menu includes a selection of Chinese and Thai soups, wok noodles and rices, spicy curries, small plates, traditional drinks, cocktails and desserts.

treatments. Our encompassing experiences and unparalleled services will refresh the guest every day.

Rocca An All-dAy restAurAnt Rocca serves home-style Italian and Indian cuisine in a vibrant and stylish ambience.

Our show kitchens allow you to watch as our chefs churn up time-honoured classic recipes.

Offering private dining rooms as well, Rocca is the perfect venue for family celebrations, energising business lunches or an intimate gathering of friends. Daily buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner is served at Rocca.

uP’s BAr And lounge The relaxed UP’s is an inviting space decorated with books on Lucknow’s history and culture. The versatile environment of UP’s allows you to use the space for pre-dinner drinks with colleagues, connecting with friends or celebrating a special occasion. UP’s opens in the afternoon, and serves a wide range of premium beverages and creative cocktails complemented by relaxed lounge music. This stylish lounge bar is the entertainment venue of the hotel, catering to discerning guests in the city the penthouse The Penthouse is an elite martini bar perched at the rooftop of the hotel, an ideal place for socialites of the city to unwind and have their favourite martini in a semi casual environment, overlooking a splendid aerial view. n

LukJin Chinese And thAi speCiAlity restAurAnt Discover a vibrant restaurant that celebrates the flavours and fragrances of Thailand and China. A palette of muted, earthy tones juxtaposes with traditional Chinese touches

offering privAte dining rooms As well, roCCA is the perfeCt venue for fAmily CeleBrAtions, energising Business lunChes or An intimAte gAthering of friends. dAily Buffet BreAkfAst, lunCh And dinner is served At roCCA.

HYATT REGENCY LUCKNOW Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar Lucknow, India, 226010 +91 522 426 1234 lucknow.regency.hyatt.com

city shanghai

The winter expanse, as seen from The Villa Himalaya; and (facing page) a Sufi dervish at the Shah-e-Hamdan 92

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How White

was my valley

Kashmir’s yellowing autumn leaves and vales abundant with flowers are replaced by cotton-candy snow and the laughter of children in the winter, finds Manek S. kohli. photographs by aShfaq Rah outlook traveller • SePteMBer 2017

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kashmir

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ashmir in wintertime is not everyone’s cup of nun chai (salted tea). The verdant springtime mountainscape, as seen in Yash Chopra’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan, is substituted by a murky, mist-covered setting akin to that of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider. It is not sunrise but the fajr (the first azan) that marks the beginning of each day; lotuses no longer bloom at Manasbal Lake; the chinars, willows and apple trees are stark naked. The palette is pastel.

But all you need to set things right is a snowfall.

“But will I get one?” I asked Ghulam Hassan Rah, over the phone. “Maybe,” responded the veteran adventurer, trekker and co-owner of The Villa Himalaya boutique hotel just outside Sonamarg. His response left me concerned—the snow was to be my protagonist.

Visiting in late January, I was going to spend my first day in Srinagar, where it was not expected to snow, and then continue to the hotel in Kullan village, which is 700m higher and eight degrees colder.

Upon arrival, my first stop was the Dalgate area, the beginning of Srinagar’s iconic downtown or Shehre-Khaas. Snowfall or not, this oldest, most politically

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A sparkling icicle; and (top left) the harissa being tempered with desi ghee

they say powder snow is the sweetest kind there is.

That morning, the soft snowflakes made no sound as they fell A boy peeps out from Kullan village’s mosque; and (top) a kangri seller takes a break near the village

active and, perhaps, most culturally rich part of town is quite spectacular. My companion, Shabir Ahmed, a relative of Rah, said, “Every season brings a different character to these streets. Just look around.”

Pigeons pecked at corn at the Shah-e-Hamdan mosque’s courtyard. When the birdfeeder came, they flew away to momentarily perch on the roofs of the old towering houses. There were feathers everywhere,

the birds seeming like daunting silhouettes against the grey sky from my worm’s-eye perspective. I left them alone and ambled along the main road. All around me were locals dressed in full-body woollen phirans. Some had mysteriously ballooned stomachs, as they held beneath their phirans baskets filled with burning coal, known as kangris, for warmth. Seasonal vendors sold dried vegetables and dried fish (hokhegad). These are outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

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Children sledding after a fresh spell of snow; and (left) The Villa Himalaya in the evening

made using centuries-old techniques that allow locals to preserve food even during the worst of Kashmir’s snowfalls, when supplies are scarce.

At the Shah-e-Hamdan graveyard, I saw a crow roost on a gravestone and then fly away into the horizon, as if delivering the soul of the departed to its maker.

Next stop, Jamia Masjid, Kashmir’s biggest mosque.

We strolled along the narrow downtown streets, among houses that looked, oddly, northern European.

Behind them flowed the Jhelum, muddy and low-lying, but with mynas and sparrows milling around. Back in downtown Srinagar, busy Kashmiri bakeries or kaandurs were running out of czot and chochwar breads.

In contrast, Jamia Masjid, with its high-ceilinged halls and leafless chinars, was almost empty.

In an ideal world, I would have found patches of snow ginger on the bareback hillside on my way to Kullan. But as I drove along roads sandwiched between corridors of wiry poplar, I realised this was no ideal world. Kullan arrived, with scattered powder visible atop tin-roofed homes among thorny shrubbery and sickly brown earth below. Regardless, the Sind flowed prettily and The Villa Himalaya was a pleasant sight—a luxurious alpine home with a cosy, modern European vibe, yet blending well with the bucolic setting.

I sat with Rah in my room, sipping Kashmir’s favourite green tea, kahwah, admiring the French windows beyond which lay a balcony with traditional Kashmiri stools and an alluring view of the adjoining river and the mountains. All that was great, but what about the snow?

I turned to my host, “So—” “Yes, I know,” he cut me off, as if reading my mind. outlook traveller • march 2018

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city shanghai “Let us hope for the best.”

Hope was all we had. We could theorise and postulate as much as we wanted, but the odds were against us.

Perhaps that was what made the difference, for that night, at an hour unknown to me, it began to snow.

My protagonist had arrived.

They say powder snow is the sweetest kind there is.

That morning, the soft, cottony snowflakes made no sound as they fell. The compound to the right of The Villa Himalaya became an even, white field, with at least a foot of snow. The trees finally wore outfits; in the forest, they even formed tree wells. The Sind still gushed mightily, but the rocks by its banks looked like cotton candy. Around noon, when the snowfall stopped, I saw for the first time since landing in Srinagar, the sun and a blue sky.

Kullan village turned into a winter wonderland.

About 300 homes skirt the river on both sides, all the way up the valley till the tree line. Once I stepped out, accompanied by the hotel’s operations manager, Khursheed Ahmed, I realised that the children had beaten me to it. A group of boys had found a flat piece of land and fashioned two lumps of snow into cricket stumps. A game ensued; most bowled balls rolled away, but when they bounced and the bat connected, they soared into the sky like the many ravens. A little ahead, the girls had gathered to play garam ball, a game beyond my comprehension. When it came to sledding, however, everyone was willing to play together. The snowfields, crisscrossed with a network of small footprints, had short slopes. Phiran-clad children rode their sleds in fours, and let gravity do the rest.

Mules, used to transport luggage in the summer, became playthings for children that day. The kids also ran around the ducks, and let the hens out of their coops.

Just before the Kullan forest block, I even spotted a child attempting to ski using just sticks and a sliced pipe.

The Villa Himalaya, along with a local family, hosted a lunch for me at the latter’s house. Bashir, the patriarch, sat in a corner enjoying his shisha pipe, while his wife was by the bukhari, a wooden furnace, savouring the heat. As I awaited the meal, a helper came with a tasht-nari or a jug for washing hands. One by one, we were served dishes cooked with dried vegetables—wangan hachi (aubergine) chicken, al-hachi (bottle gourd) mutton and haak (saag) paneer. The rich flavours instantly reinvigorated my cold-numbed taste buds.

Khursheed and I decided to go on a snow forest trail.

While the vir (willow), fraess’t (poplar) and kikkar kul (mesquite) down at the village were skeletal versions of their summer selves, the forest block lay lush with kail (Himalayan blue pine) and divdhor (deodar). Our trail began at the end of the path that ran beside the ridge.

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when the snowfall stopped, I saw for the first time since landing in Srinagar, the sun and a blue sky

The Sind and its surroundings made for an ethereal sight outlook traveller • SePteMBer 2017

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Curries made from dry vegetables served during lunch at the village home

Soon I learnt an important lesson: always wear proper snowshoes. At first, things were fine; then, we were shovelling through three feet of snow. Once it became too steep for me, I chose to give up. I was paralysed with fear, and Khursheed had to hold me all the way down till the ridge.

That evening, we celebrated the snowfall the Kashmiri way—by relishing wazwan, a multi-course, mostly non-vegetarian meal. Afterwards, we stepped out into the hotel’s courtyard, where the powder snow had turned into crunchy crud, and the

starlight glittered upon its surface.

The next morning, Rah and I headed back to Srinagar.

On the way, my host insisted that we take a detour and stop by Aslam’s Weaving Centre at the remote Narayan Bagh in Ganderbal district. Equipped with about two dozen handlooms that weave 100 per cent pashmina garments, it is run by four brothers, of whom the youngest, Zahoor, seemed the most passionate.

They say, the best things are left for last. Despite the cold, a delicacy known as the harissa, only available in the winter, has Kashmiris leave their homes at 6am for one of the many harissa shops lining downtown Srinagar. Among them, the best one is only known by the name of the cook—Mohammad Ashraf Khaksar. He takes 50kg of mutton every day, mixes it with spices, and beats it for hours on end in a massive pot, till it has a fine, paste-like texture. Then he scoops out the cooked meat, tempers it with desi ghee, lays a kebab on top, and serves it with czot.

In that shop that day, accompanying my sumptuous meal, I had many pleasant conversations with the locals.

Their geniality towards an outsider made me wonder about how the region is perceived elsewhere. Though I am in no way entitled to comment upon that, there is at least one thing I can say for sure—when it comes to the Kashmiris, the best thing that tackles the cold is their infectious warmth.

# THE INFORMATION GettinG ther e Major carriers fly daily to Srinagar from all metros. The airport is 86km (2.5hr) from Kullan village, and from here you can take a taxi (approx. `3,000 one way). Note: the road to Sonamarg, 17km from Kullan, remains shut after the first December snowfall and reopens in March. wher e to stay The Villa Himalaya (+01244378037, +91-9266679310, thevillahimalaya.com) has some of the best service and facilities you will find in the area. It has 15 rooms, including deluxe balcony rooms and attic rooms (`7,250 doubles, taxes extra) and deluxe rooms (`6,500 doubles, taxes extra). The hotel has a lovely log-house look, and the rooms include elements such as 100

wooden Kashmiri artifacts, 100 per cent wool carpets, crewel embroidery bed covers and papier máché boxes containing fruit and biscuits. Tariff includes breakfast. In Srinagar, go for RK Sarovar Portico. Key facilities include: over 50 centrally-heated, comfortable rooms split across three categories, spa salon with a Turkish hamam, plenty of meeting and conference rooms, and a restaurant. From `5,900, taxes extra, sarovarhotels.com

what to eat & drink At The Villa Himalaya, the head chef Harun Sheik, tandoori chef Naushad Khan and waza chef Mohammad Lateef together present some great food. I had their trout wazwan platter, which included gushtaba (meatballs in a yoghurt gravy), rista (meatballs in

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a red chilli gravy), kebabs, grilled chicken, salad and, of course, river trout (`1,000, taxes extra).

Lunch and dinner buffets cost `650 per person. The rogan josh (a lamb dish) is outstanding. For breakfasts, I enjoyed nun chai and czot bread, along with sandwiches and omelette.

RK Sarovar Portico also does a fine wazwan. The nadru ki yakni (lotus stem in a yoghurt gravy) was delectable.

what to see & do Khursheed Ahmed (Ph: +919906736588) is in charge of all outdoor activities at The Villa Himalaya. Winter activities: >Village home meal: `3,000 for two, including lunch and a guide. >The snow forest trail: `1,000 for two, including a guide. It is about 1.5km long and takes a

total of three hours. Check with Khursheed about appropriate winter gear. Note: you have to sign a disclaimer. >Heritage walk in Srinagar: `5,000 for two, including a wazwan lunch. It is conducted by Shabir Ahmed and takes about two hours. >Harissa at Mohammad Ashraf Khaksar’s shop in downtown Srinagar: `150 per plate, including czot. >A visit to Aslam’s Weaving Centre: `3,500 for two, including a guide and vehicle charges. >Shikara ride at the Dal Lake: `500 for four. The Villa Himalaya will provide you with blankets and kangris. >Kullan’s inhabitants offer sledding. There is no fixed rate, but `100 a ride is reasonable. n manek s. kohli

e v lo e h t in f o e m i t a n o t r Co

Cortona is an italian town that is best enjoyed in aimless ramblings with a Camera in tow. text and photographs by SREEDEEP

Clockwise from above: Hotel Oasi Neumann at Cortona, in an interplay of light and shadow; displays of intimacy and impromptu music gigs are not uncommon in the town’s streets; and the place is defined by its clean air, green cover and wetlands in the distant horizon

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here is a small hill town under the Tuscan sun called Cortona. Its undulating landscape, mountain backdrop, refreshing sky, many paintings and sculptures, and amazing food and wine are overwhelming to say the least. Roughly 100 kilometres from Florence and 200 kilometres from Rome, the place is a utopia come true for visitors looking to unwind and surrender themselves to the picturesque panoramas of a cosy hill town. Let Renaissance art and architecture keep you occupied for hours, and stroll endlessly through winding pathways, passing through cafĂŠs, markets, bars and piazzas.

The city is small, but the list of places worth visiting is quite elaborate. The Palazzo Comunale (communal palace) in the heart of the city steals the show with the 13th-century Cortona town hall. Truly communal in spirit, it is the hub for musical concerts, weddings and family gatherings. Those enthralled by Etruscan history should visit the Diocesan Museum and the archaeological park. The number of churches in Cortona is in double digits, but you need not bother visiting all of them. In fact, you can even spend your day overlooking the valley surrounding Lake Trasimeno with a novel in hand, or strolling purposelessly to absorb the mood of the charming town. There are enough sunflowers, homemade wines, quaint shops, and, of course, music in the air to uplift your spirits.

Walking around the city also exposes you to a plethora of human activity. The place is a classic mixture of warmth and affection without any pomposity.

Clockwise from facing page: a passerby wears a T-shirt with variants of the Mona Lisa smile; one may come across music performances while skirting its bylanes; life is always sweet on the streets of Cortona; the fashion sense of locals here is always on fleek; and a street artist displays his collection

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“Mass tourism is killing Leh... imagine 200,000 people in a 5sq km radius in five summer months...

We’re now trying to take tourism beyond summer and beyond Leh to the homes of Amalehs (mothers) in the villages to increase Ladakh’s carrying capacity”

“When you are talking about how to manage destinations, you have to include the domestic tourism numbers [not just international tourist arrival statistics, which are easier to come by]”

If given a choice, 52% of tourists would choose sustainable travel, says UNWTO

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“Responsibility is free.

We can all take as much of it as we can handle”

Outlook Responsible Tourism Summit & Awards 2018 The Future of Travel: India & South Asia Three years after the Outlook Responsible Tourism Summit started — as a mere reaction to toxic forms of tourism in India, affecting local communities, cultures and the environment — it has now come of age. The evidence of this and of the sense of community that it has built over time was on full display at the ITC Maurya on February 10, where several fantastic travel businesses also took the coveted Awards home. With like-minded homestay owners, hoteliers, tour operators, academics, writers and conservationists from across India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the UK and the US under the same roof, it was clear that conscious travel is not a pipe dream anymore. It’s the only way forward.

1. Manganiyar Chanan Khan, India’s only surmandal player, performs with his troupe | 2. Innovator and educationalist, Sonam Wangchuk | 3. Megan Epler Wood, who teaches sustainable tourism at Harvard University | 4. A discussion on reimagining policies by (clockwise) Atri Bhattacharya, Principal Secretary, Tourism West Bengal, C B Ramkumar, Board Member, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Rupesh Kumar, State Coordinator of Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission, Meenakshi Sharma, ADG, Ministry of Tourism, Soman S Pathy, Liaison & Nodal Officer, Gujarat Tourism | 5.

Director, International Centre for Responsible Tourism, Dr. Harold Goodwin conducts an off-stage focus group on tourism innovations across the world

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1. Winners of the Indian Responsible Tourism Awards 2018 2. Ahmed Chamanwala of Fringe Ford receives the Overall Award 3. Launch of Green Dreams by Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog (centre), author C.B. Ramkumar (right) and Indranil Roy, CEO, Outlook Group 4. AirBnB India’s Country Manager, Amanpreet Bajaj conducts an offstage ‘Ask the Expert Session’ on scaling up travel businesses 5. A conversation on redefining luxury with (clockwise) Tristan Beau de Lomenie from AccorHotels, Karin van Zyl from Amanbagh, Aman Resorts, Neha Dara from the Outlook Responsible Tourism Initiative, Joanna van Gruisen from Sarai at Toria, Romil Pant from Thomas Cook India 6. Visitors explore ‘100 Days in the Himalayas’, a photo installation by Dhritiman Mukherjee and Shantanu Moitra

Indian Responsible Tourism Awards 2018

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THE WINNERS Best Individually-run Homestay Gold: Ghoomakad, Rakkar village, near Dharamsala Silver: Chhotaram Prajapat Homestay, Salawas, near Jodhpur

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Best Community-run Homestay Gold: Friends of Orchha, Madhya Pradesh Silver: Demul, Spiti Silver: Baramati Agri Tourism, Maharashtra Best Heritage Property Gold: The Bhuj House, Gujarat Best Wildlife Property Gold: Fringe Ford, Kerala Silver: SAI Sanctuary Trust, Karnataka Silver: Wildernest, Goa Best Boutique Property Gold: Maachli, Maharashtra Silver: Meena Bagh, Himachal Pradesh

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Best Outdoor Operator Silver: Konkan Explorers, Goa Silver: Quest Expeditions, multiple destinations Best Urban Neighbourhood Operator Gold: Reality Tours and Travels, Mumbai Silver: The Preserve Alleppey Soceity, Allapuzha Best Cultural Immersion Operator Gold: The Folk Tales, multiple destinations Silver: Culture Aangan, Maharashtra

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Outstanding Achievement Award Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Best Overall Winner Fringe Ford, Kerala

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city shanghai

Epiphanies at the end of the world argentina comes back to vivek menezes in rip tides of memory and dream

photographs: getty images

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t has taken me many months to be able to write about Argentina after an unprecedented and epic writer’s block on the subject descended over my consciousness like the black velvet polar nights of Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost city on Earth. Immediately after returning from Buenos Aires to Goa, I was seriously enthused to describe my life-changing experiences of the manifold wonders of that incredibly vast country (it is more than twice the size of India).

Instead, I found words abandoning me at the speed of runaway guanacos, the wild llamas of Patagonia described by Charles Darwin as maddeningly elusive, “wild and wary”. My brain was simply unable to craft those crucial first sentences that inevitably lead to an essay’s completion.

Then the dreams began. Slow-motion reveries of those unforgettable pampas and infinite ice fields, laid out before distant dun horizons, with eagles wheeling miles above. Something very much like this also happened to Darwin long after he returned home. Writing at the very end of his life about what he found most unforgettable, he noted, “I find the plains of Patagonia frequently pass before my eyes... they are characterised only by negative possessions; without habitations, without water, without trees, without mountains, they

support merely a few dwarf plants. Why then... have these arid wastes taken such firm possession of the memory?”

That nebulous formlessness is part of the national ethos. If its neighbouring giant Brazil is “the country of the future, and always will be”, Argentina arrives, again and again, and then generally collapses, only to rise anew. Amply blessed with every natural resource and millions of hectares of arable land, the country is home to just 44 million citizens (only slightly more than Odisha). Almost all Argentines trace their roots back to 19th- and early 20thcentury Europe, when millions of eager migrants crossed the ocean to participate in the country’s booming ‘Belle Epoque’.

Before World War I, GDP grew by at least 6 per cent annually for nearly 50 years, the greatest bull run in recorded history. Back then, Argentina was amongst the 10 richest countries in the world, much better off than France or Germany. Even more than the USA, it was justifiably known as the ‘land of opportunity’.

A full century of rollercoaster history after that heyday, Argentina is steadily inching into the global spotlight again. It has been just 35 years since democracy was restored following a series of military coups, and there is a new generation of adults charged with aspirations, who have

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brought palpable vigour and sustained growth in the national economy. There have been positive side-effects for culture and society. Other Latin Americans once commonly derided Argentines as ‘Italians who speak Spanish, but think they’re British’, but these old slurs are giving way to widespread admiration for a highly developed country with a well-educated, self-confident populace—think Messi or the Pope—that is flourishing in the 21stcentury global arena.

This irresistible liveliness sparks from the moment of touchdown in Buenos Aires, as sardine-packed Argentinos burst into sustained applause, whoops and celebration. We have been travelling excruciatingly cramped for 15 hours non-stop from Paris, but now everyone is wide awake with excitement. Even while disembarking at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport, it is striking how different the atmosphere is from other South American countries.

There is considerable truth to Marlene Dietrich’s famous quip, “In Brazil they throw flowers at you. In Argentina, they throw themselves.” From the moment of arrival, until the final goodbye at the airport departure lounge, there is only the fullestbore warmth and a remarkably intimate hospitality, where it feels like nothing is being held back.

This characteristically Argentine penchant to go for the maximum is evident everywhere in their beloved capital city.

Even by South American standards, the three million population of Buenos Aires isn’t particularly significant. Nonetheless, Porteños (as local inhabitants are called, in acknowledgement of the central historical role of the city wharves) inhabit an urban environment bursting with superlatives, where the highest density of bookstores in the world is balanced by the largest number of football stadia per capita. It is the most visited city in the continent, a spectacularly diverse melting pot for migrants from around the world, and an education magnet that draws in students from across the Spanish-speaking world. Far grander than Madrid, with much more swagger than Paris, this city should have long outgrown its longstanding (and annoyingly

Clockwise from top left: tourists visit Eva Peron’s tomb; Recoleta Cemetery; and the bustling Florida Street in Buenos Aires

lingering) obsession with comparing itself to far distant points on the map.

For literature-minded pilgrims like myself, Buenos Aires is something like the centre of the world. This is because of the towering genius Jorge Luis Borges (undoubtedly the most deserving Nobel Prize for Literature candidate who never won), for whom the city was both palimpsest and inexhaustible creative wellspring. It is hard to think of a comparable example anywhere else in the world, where a great writer and his home city are so inextricably interlinked. Walking through the stately canyons of grand siècle architecture in the old neighbourhoods this masterful magic realist wrote about so often, it was impossible to keep his words out of my

head, “Hard to believe Buenos Aires had any beginning, I feel it to be eternal as air and water.”

Most of his iconic works were written in the first half of the 20th century, but even now it doesn’t take much effort to become immersed deep in the emotional landscape of Borges’s writings. Perhaps the easiest route is to venture into the Cemetario de la Recoleta (Recoleta Cemetery) just after sunrise, where you will find yourself shivering only partly from the pre-dawn chill. “I thought about these things in the Recoleta/in the place of my ashes,” wrote the poet, “only life exists/Its forms are space and time/they are magical instruments of the soul/and when it is extinguished/space, time, and death will be extinguished with it/as the mirrors’

images wither/when evening covers them over/and the light dims.” This stunning museum of mausoleums is the nerve centre of Argentine identity, with one highlight being the tomb of Eva Perón.

Everyone has heard of Evita—actually María Eva Duarte de Perón—especially after the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that was made into a movie in which Madonna portrayed the wildly beloved Spiritual Leader of the Nation (a title she was awarded by the National Congress) and wife of the leftist general and populist president Juan Perón. But you have to visit her gravesite in Recoleta after work hours in the evening to realise the extent of her contemporary cult, as crowds of Argentines press towards it like they’re approaching a deity, leave petitionary notes outlook traveller • march 2018

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all around, and light innumerable candles to defy the fast-falling dusk. I was riveted on my first visit, watching a war veteran, who tossed aside his crutches to kneel before the tomb. Just then, two visibly moved old ladies burst into sobs, consoling each other in wordless embrace.

This is another unusual trait of the Argentines: the conspicuous lack of the gene for irony. There is nothing rote or cynical about their flag-waving. These people love their country incandescently, which includes holding formidable grudges about perceived slights. In this regard, nothing rankles their undiluted patriotism more than the affront of ongoing British rule over the Malvinas Islands (a.k.a. the Falklands) and the unforgivable treachery of the Chileans who gave tacit and material support to the Europeans in the brief, humiliating Guerra del Atlántico Sur (Falklands War) that ended in abject surrender in 1982.

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(where 649 Argentine military personnel were killed), and the most permanent smiles on the friendliest of faces will disappear instantaneously at its memory.

Even I, visiting from India so many years after the conflict, felt the edge of this seething national sentiment when I went out to watch the finals of the Copa América football tournament where Argentina faced its most hated rival, the same Chileans who had beaten them the year before in an identical matchup. I was wearing a fleece bearing the minuscule insignia of the British Antarctic Survey. We queued up for a long time to enter the local sports bar, but then the bouncer spotted the (almost invisibly tiny) Union Jack on my shoulder and shook his head. No entry! It was only after I packed the offending item away in my bag that his light turned green.

Dealing with the cold in my shirtsleeves was worth it because there is no better way to get to know a country than from the sidelines of its favourite sporting events.

Football players are famously said to reveal

the national character on the pitch, but the same is true of the way their passionate followers behave. The room that night in Buenos Aires literally shook to the rafters.

But as the game neared its end without a goal scored, fatalism set in. The match wasn’t yet lost, yet the crowd radiated defeat. By the time Chile finally won, via penalty kicks, they had already begun to cheer up again. And now these young Argentines set about another national pastime as they hotly pursued each other to pair off and head home together.

But even if coming in second to their abhorred neighbours seems almost accepted, no one forgets or forgives anything. Soon after arriving at the airport at Ushuaia, a long flight south from the national capital, we were treated to an exhilarating helicopter ride high above the Beagle Channel (so named because Darwin’s famous ship visited here in the 1820s) that forms part of the border between Chile and Argentina. The pilot kept circling to show us “the good

Football is a national passion for Argentines; (below) street art in Palermo district of Buenos Aires; and (facing page) the resort town of Ushuaia at the southern tip of South America

side”, while contemptuous about “that area which has nothing interesting”.

Meanwhile our eyes were popping out of our heads at the jagged mountains, magnificent grey-blue waters studded with ice floes, and on one side, this improbable city at the very end of the known road.

Ushuaia is bitingly cold proof that Indians have not, in fact, penetrated to settle at the ends of the world. Of this remote but bustling city’s 60,000 residents, not a single one is from our part of the world, as I found after searching for three days. I discovered a Taiwanese adventure sports enthusiast and several separate families with roots in the Levant (the former Argentine president Carlos Menem’s parents were from Syria). But even in this hub of nascent technology and industrial enterprises, no dice for Indians. This is rather surprising, and also an excellent opportunity. For anyone who can deal with 17 hours of daylight in summer and just seven in winter, the tradeoff is mightily worth it, because this is the

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A trek by the Moreno glacier in the Los Glaciares National Park

most beautiful and pristine environment imaginable, with air so clean it is like you are breathing for the first time.

Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia is one of the most celebrated travel books of all time, full of lyrical description and penetrating insight. But Chatwin did not like Ushuaia, which he reports leaving “like an unwanted tomb”. The town has a bleak history, he recounts, which “began with a prefabricated mission house put up in 1869 by the Rev. W.H. Stirling alongside the shacks of the Yaghan Indians. For 16 years, Anglicanism, vegetable gardens, and the Indians flourished. Then the Argentine Navy came and the Indians died of measles and pneumonia. The settlement graduated from navy base to convict station.” Now this “masterpiece of cut stone and concrete more secure than the jails of Siberia” is an unusual museum, complete with an art gallery. But the single wing that has been left as a cellblock is what sears the imagination with a bitter chill.

With a pipeline of subsidies and incentives pumped in by the state, Ushuaia is far removed from its prison past. But there is still a decidedly melancholic hum to the city that lingers in your ears even as you get on the flight to Calafate, almost 1,000 kilometres north but still within 116

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Patagonia. This distinctly cheerful little city bunches down to the southern bank of Lago Argentina, a massive freshwater lake that sprawls across nearly 1,500 square kilometres. A pleasant place with a laidback hippie vibe, its main street is lined with restaurants, ice cream shops and tiny stores selling homemade souvenirs to cater to large numbers of tourists who wheel in and out of town, using it as the entry point to the Los Glaciares National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is also the largest national park in Argentina.

Los Glaciares comprises over 7,000 square kilometres of the Andes ice cap and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the biggest outside Antarctica and Greenland, which includes 48 glaciers. Just 78 kilometres from Calafate is Perito Moreno Glacier, a formation that spreads over 250 square kilometres before meeting Lago Argentina, where travellers can approach it via boats. As you speed along the water to the glacier, an impeccably thin line of blue steadily reveals itself as a massive shelf of ice several storeys high. Up close, you are inevitably driven to silence as you watch giant slivers and slices of ice calve off and smash into the water below.

The other great natural wonder of Argentina is the Iguazú Falls, the largest

waterfall system in the world, located far away from Patagonia in the corner of the country that meets both, Paraguay and Brazil. Here, the Iguazú River tumbles far down the Paraná Plateau, creating a breathtaking array of over 150 cataracts, including the stunning U-shaped Devil’s Throat which sends out a plume of spray that can be seen for miles around. Walking all the way down to the waterline to take a boat under the falls is another bucket list item, with the expert crew lingering until everyone is both drenched and exhilarated, before speeding upriver in the heat of the sun to dry you off again.

From Ushuaia to Iguazú is 4,359 kilometres (by contrast, Kanyakumari to Kashmir is just 2,856 km), and the difference between Patagonia and Misiones is comparable to that between Norway and Haiti. But Argentina makes it work, which is but one function of all that oversized patriotism. There are always tell-tale signs for a country on the rise and about to experience its moment in the global spotlight. This is demonstrably the case with Buenos Aires, but also penetrates right to the remote reaches of Patagonia. Everyone talks about this being the Asian century, but keep an eye out for Argentina too.

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An Alluring slice of culture

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ragrant mustard fields and golden domes propped on white gurudwaras sum up the first impression of Punjab. Then comes the rich food, with meticulously stirred aromatic gravies and gracious hosts. Maruti Suzuki Alto and Outlook Traveller drove through the countryside of Punjab this January, with a family of three—Vikas, Sheetal and Himanshi. The idea was to savour the sights of the state during the festival of Lohri.

The trip started from Chandigarh, covering Amritsar and Hoshiarpur and syncing up with the Lohri celebrations.

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what one needs for a road trip, and the car made for an ideal fit. The 16th century Tarn Taran Sahib gurudwara was the first pit-stop on the journey. It is foregrounded by the largest lake in Punjab and offer sunmatchable serenity.

Punjab’s countryside is made up of bright greens topped with yellows in mustard fields and large sprawls of sugarcane and wheat, glinting in the sun.

The ethereal countryside views of Punjab are a treat for the the eyes.

Himanshi was glued to the window. With a child-lock and seat belt keeping her safely tucked-in, Vikas and Sheetal drove without a worry.

Ample time was reserved for the markets, food joints and the heritage street of Amritsar. There was an air of festivity in the streets, with shop-fronts drooping under the weight of wares —phulkari clothes, juttis, sweets and savouries and jewellery. A trip to Amritsar minus the Golden Temple is heretical. So off they went in the pre-dawn hours to marvel at the holiest structure of the state.

The gold of the dome not only sparkles

on its own, but also makes a second appearance in the calm waters of the lake in front of the temple.

Keeping the mood alive with music in the car, the trio headed to the Wagah border. A grand spectacle unfolds, as the guards from Pakistan and India, present a mock battle of superiority in a chest thumping and moustache twirling show.

Compared to this mock bout, the Sarhad Restaurant is a perfect antidote. It is focused on mending the relationship with ingredients, recipes and art imported from Pakistan.

The third day brought Vikas, Sheetal and Himanshi to Hoshiarpur for a tryst with farm life, as they relaxed in Kailash Farm. Lohri evening was extra special with a large bonfire and Punjab’s folk dancers, who urged the group to sing and dance along.

Hoshiarpur to Chandigarh was the last stretch for the family. Shopping bags, plummeting moods for the ending holiday and great memories from Punjab filled the car, as they came to the final stop in Chandigarh.

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ravelling in the midst of a swathe of nature’s enigmatic brushstroke is a mesmerizing experience. In December 2017, we set out to explore one such verdant destination—Meghalaya.

Outlook Traveller and Maruti Suzuki Alto set out on ‘Wheels of Wander’, a fourday self-driving trail with the Delhi based band, The Cosmic Truth. Meghalaya does full justice to the long-attached moniker, ‘music capital of India.’ A music band from Delhi took the wheel to explore this music back- dropped state. For the band mates, a self-driving trip was the ideal definition of freedom.

We started from Guwahati in two Maruti Suzuki Altos and wended along

EscapE to paradisE

the roads to Cherrapunjee, Shnongpdeng, Mawlynnong and Shillong, making other pit stops to take in the untamed beauty of the Khasi and Jaintia hills. Delicious local food and stunning sights apart, Christmas in Shillong unexpectedly reflected the high-octane celebrations of a European city. From being nature’s wonderland to a standout Christmas affair, Meghalaya was delightful.

When driving from Guwahati to Cherrapunjee, Mawkdok Valley urges you to halt and look down 1200 feet.This is one of the highest zip-lining spots in India. Strapped into harnesses after a brief orientation, it was time for the four band mates to roar down the line. There were more reasons to peek down cliffsides on this day. Nohkalikai Falls was one of them. At 1115 feet, it is the highest plunge waterfall of India. The white sheet of water races down a rocky bed to an emerald pool below. At the end of an exciting and tiring day, the automatic gear system of the car was a relief, as it allowed for a stress-free ride.

Another adventure awaited next day at the Arwah Caves. A small path has been

carved out of an escarpment for people to walk to the sensational network of stalagmites and stalactites inside.

As the music in the car kept the mood of the drive high, the group made their way to Shnongpdeng on the edge of the glassy Umngot River. The aqua-tinged river is so clean, that one can see the riverbed below and the boats look like they are floating mid-air. Camping by the riverside infused energy for the morning of kayaking, and then driving to Mawlynnong village, the cleanest in Asia and the living root bridge of Rwai. The bridge is made from coiled roots and a handrail of vines.

Thousands of lights announced the peak of festivity on Christmas in Shillong.

Full-scale celebrations of Christmas drew the group in, as they walked down the streets, stopping at cafes and ending the trip with full bellies and fuller hearts.

Meghalaya is the ultimate travel plunge that one can take on a self-driving trip in India. A car like Maruti Suzuki Alto is easy to manoeuvre and has ample space for four, making it an ideal set of wheels for the hills.

Gujarat’s captivatinG landscapes and culture

T

here is nothing like being in the company of nature, culture and history while travelling. All three whims covered, Outlook Traveller and Maruti Suzuki Alto took the ‘Wheels of Wander’ four-day trail to the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. On the journey were three friends, Miesha, Diisha and Delna, eager to explore the vibrant state, especially during the annual Rann Utsav.

More exciting was the fact that they would be on a road trip together.

Starting in Ahmedabad after seeing the Adalaj Ni Vav step well and the famous Sabarmati Ashram, the trio set off for Bhuj. Bhuj is the epicentre of handicraft of the region. It offers the ideal access to villages like Kukma, Bhujodi, Nirona and Hodka where Kutchi embroidery, Persian Rogan art and beadwork flourish. The burst of colours at the villages was the perfect way to start the journey. The girls spent ample time with artisans, understanding why 120

outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

craft is the soul of Bhuj. They also got a chance to look at the traditional mud huts called bhungas, which are decorated with organic colours by the villagers—another testament of their handicraft prowess.

Next was Dhordo, the gateway to the Rann Utsav. The festival is a showcase of local craft, music, dance and cuisine, with additional activities like para motoring and watching the full moon come up in the white Rann. The Rann of Kutch is the largest salt marsh in the world. It’s a fascinating terrain of a crunchy salted sprawl of over 7000 sq km that attracts a number of visitors during the year. It also encompasses a wild ass sanctuary, which is high on the radar for nature enthusiasts.

Naturally, during the festival, the numbers skyrocket. But even during the crush of tourists, one can find a serene spot to watch the full moon ascend in the inky sky, lighting up the entire Rann with its light.

An excellent way to get a bird’s eye view of the Rann is a drive to Kalo Dungar

(Black Hill), which rises more than 400 feet above sea level. From here, one can set eyes on the carpet of salt, pools of water and the one-of- a-kind terrain.

After driving through the countryside, inside villages and experiencing the high energy of the Rann Utsav, it was the perfect way to close the trip.

The friends took the same highway back to Ahmedabad, reminiscing about the wonderful local experiences and how the Maruti Suzuki Alto had been the perfect partner with an efficient AGS to drive without hiccups, a great music system and ample boot space to accommodate their shopping.

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We know India Best

Back of the 03.18… Time Traveller Book Reviews Book Time Pass Where on Earth? Picture Post n

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Travel Classic n Grumpy Traveller EditEd by sumEEt kEswaNi

time traveller First man in space, 1961 On February 6 this year, the flamboyant

Beinecke RaRe Book & ManuscRipt LiBRaRy pHotoGRapHs: Getty iMaGes

entrepreneur Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy with a very interesting payload—the founder’s cherry red Tesla Roadster. In the driver’s seat was a mannequin, clad in a spacesuit and named ‘Starman’, a clever nod to David Bowie’s classic song of the 1970s.

While some derided the launch as an ostentatious publicity stunt, others called it the first space-art installation. Either way, one thing is indubitable: the human race has come a long way in space exploration to reach this extraordinary point where it can make memes from the video of an electric car casually gliding towards the asteroid belt of our solar system.

The first leap towards this end was taken 57 years ago, when the 28-year-old Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to reach outer space on April 12, 1961. Gagarin was on board Vostok 1 (left pic), a radio-controlled spacecraft that blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. He reached 300 kilometres above the planet’s surface in a one-man capsule and orbited Earth once, at a speed of over 28,000 kilometres per hour, before returning to terra firma safely with the help of a parachute—a mind-boggling achievement for that time. Aptly, Gagarin came to be known as the ‘World’s First Citizen’. Unfortunately, just seven years later, on March 27, 1968, he was killed along with a test pilot in a MiG-15 crash. Gagarin’s funeral, three days later, saw a long procession in Moscow (right pic). We may be exploring Mars with robots and spying on Pluto’s surface composition today, but it was just over half a century ago that we got our very first spaceman—the pioneer of space travel for humankind. And this month, we mark his 50th death anniversary. n sumeet keswani

outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

123

Of Borders & Betrayal Makam is a lost town on the map of

books

Upper Assam. Its name, meaning ‘golden horse’ in Chinese, comes from the settlers brought here by the British to start tea gardens with the seeds and the

expertise they brought with them from China. Some were slaves escaping cruel masters in search of a better life. They found love with local women, began to speak a lingo that was part Chinese, part Assamese, and invited their less fortunate relatives over from the Chinese mainland. Slowly, the small settlement became a regular Chinatown.

Chinatown Days, originally written in Assamese and called Makam after the town, is set against this background, in the days of the Sino-Indian war.

Unable to tackle the threat of Chinese incursions, India turned on the Chinese within their grasp—rather in the same way America reacted to the resident Japanese during World War II. Chowdhury tells her tale through the mask of the writer Arunabh Bora, who meets another

writer Lailin Tham, of mixed Chinese and Assamese descent.

She defies him to tell her story of suffering. From that begins the tale of the Assamese Chinese, past and present. From Robert Bruce’s unearthing of tea in Assam and the arrival of Lailin’s ancestor, one thread goes forward, another back through Bora’s book, united by the plight and confusion of the Chinese who were first smuggled into Assam and then thrust out.

Chowdhury describes the customs and traditions of the Assamese Chinese, and the lives of the so-called ‘tea tribes’ minutely. It is a vast canvas of a secure lifestyle that was suddenly shattered. Over 100 interviews went into the book, and Chowdhury found that few people were willing to talk about their experiences for fear of bringing the state’s wrath down on their

Chinatown Days

By Rita Chowdhury (Pan Macmillan, `599)

heads all over again.

About 1,500 Assamese Chinese were arbitrarily deported.

Officers turned up at all hours, telling residents that they were being moved for their own safety.

Mei Lin, Leilin’s mother, was separated from her husband. On protesting that her surname was Barua and she was Assamese, she was accused of conspiring against the government. Told that they could return after the war, the displaced residents were not allowed to take any possessions with them. Groups of people from across Upper Assam, some of them not even Chinese, were bundled into a goods train and sent to a refugee camp in Deoli, Rajasthan. The week-long journey, in extreme heat and dire conditions, saw babies born and families separated, some forever.

In Deoli, Yu Yu, a nine-year-old,

collapsed from the heat. Thinking her dead, people buried her.

Then, hearing her screams from underground, they dug her up again. But it was too late.

This could well have been nonfiction, but Chowdhury chose to turn her research into a harrowing novel. Many of the characters are based on real people, though they have been merged in several cases—to protect the innocent from further depredations.

Chowdhury’s language is direct and colloquial, and the story flows through the lives of her characters.

The book, as Chowdhury says through her protagonist Bora, was a challenge. In it, she exposes the confusion, betrayal and aggression against India that still haunt the Chinese with Assamese roots, regardless of where in the world they may be. n

anjana basu

Travel Classic

#

The one book that affected me so deeply that I attempted my own recreation was Mary Wollstonecraft’s Letters Written during a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway and Denmark (1796). In the preface, she determines to “let my remarks and reflections flow unrestrained”, and

what follows is a rollercoaster ride of politics, sarcasm, travelogue and heartbreak. Best known as the foremother of feminism, here we meet Wollstonecraft as a passionate, bewitching and often maddening human being. She veers between intimate moments of vulnerability and scathing social critique, sometimes in the same paragraph. And in between, she’s outrageously funny. On the page, she travels with her infant daughter and a maid around Scandinavia. Her purpose is the pursuit of a missing shipment of silverware, smuggled out of revolutionary France. This, she hopes, will win back the heart of her feckless boyfriend. “Don’t do it!” you almost want to shout across the centuries. The failures and the messy ending only add to the authenticity.

[bee rowlatt]

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outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

Bee Rowlatt’s latest book is In Search of Mary

the foodhall cookbook: for the love of food

By Gresham Fernandes, Kelvin Cheung, Pooja Dhingra, Sabyasachi Gorai & Zorawar Kalra (Roli, `895)

Keep Calm & Cook the world of cooking has undergone massive transformation in India. With television shows and celebrity chefs, right from Masterchef to Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, showcasing new techniques and flavour combinations, home cooks and amateur chefs have been enthused with the desire to craft beautiful and exotic dishes, and to wow with their creations.

This is where The Foodhall Cookbook comes in, a collaboration between five renowned chefs. Each of the authors picks a theme that is their forte and curates gorgeous yet simple recipes for home cooks to try in the confines of their own kitchens.

The pantry essentials for the recipes come from Foodhall stores, which has been providing consumers with world-class ingredients spanning various cuisines since 2011. The volume’s modern European recipes come from Gresham Fernandes (Salt Water Cafe and Smoke House Deli), Asian from Kelvin Chueng (Bastian), contemporary Indian from Zorawar Kalra (Masala Library), Mediterranean from Sabyasachi Gorai (winner of the Best Chef award at the National Tourism Awards in 2012), and desserts from macaroon queen Pooja Dhingra (Le 15).

The pictures that accompany the recipes are warm and beautifully shot, enough to make one salivate even before one looks at the listed ingredients. The best part is that each recipe included in this collection is easy to reproduce.

There are no fussy, complicated steps that are likely to trip you up and make you lose interest halfway through cooking.

Start with the warm mushroom salad garnished with peppery scallions and watercress from Fernandes, then head to Chueng’s Kung Pao shrimps, a spicy dish from northern China laden with peanuts for some extra crunch.

Discover avocado papdi chaat or baingan bharta ratatouille in Kalra’s section, and then move towards more Mediterranean flavours such as vine leaf dolmas, chicken and sausage paella from Gorai’s recipes. End a fabulous meal with Dhingra’s falooda-inspired rose chia pudding or n sharmistha chaudhuri kesar pista cupcakes!

the konyaks: last of the tattooed headhunters

By Phejin Konyak & Peter Bos (Roli, `3,500)

Indelible History

W

hen a book seeks to document a Nagaland tribe with a controversial history of headhunting, you immediately fear judgement in the subtext. The best part of The Konyaks then is that it is narrated by a descendant of the tribe. Phejin Konyak grew up observing the mesmerising facial and body tattoos on her grandfather and his friends in Mon district, and learning of their origins the hard way.

Phejin starts the book precariously with an introduction to the tribe, its history, festivals and feasts. She does not shy away from recounting the ostracism she and her siblings faced at boarding school due to their family background. But a pressing need to preserve her ancestors’ unique tattooing tradition leads her to an inevitable confrontation with their headhunting history. The Konyaks believe that the soul force of a living being lies in its skull. Hence, their practice of headtaking was inextricably linked to power struggles between warring villages. It was also a rite of passage for boys, the number of heads determining an individual’s tattoo designs and, consequently, social status. Once Phejin confronts her demons, she delves deep into disturbing details of ritualistic ceremonies. The book is a gold mine for anyone wanting to study the tribe through an objective lens.

The volume chalks out the different tattoo groups, shen-tu (face tattoo), tangtatu (body tattoo) and kong-tu (nose tattoo), and their folktales and songs. A tattoo, or tu, was drawn by pricking the skin with a rattan thorn; the pigment used was tree sap known as ying tee collected from the kong tree (red cedar). While Phejin dissects the designs and the beliefs behind them in meticulous detail, Peter Bos does a spectacular job of photographing the fading ink under diffused light in the natives’ traditional houses. The haunting pictures alone are worth the cost of the book. The designs are further demystified with illustrations.

Anecdotes add life to the book. A particularly amusing one is that of the powerful Angh Chakwang of Longzang, whose headhunting prowess was such that his whole body had been covered with tattoos. Thus, this angh became the first warrior to get a penis tattoo, a task entrusted to 11 of his 30 wives.

The book ends, aptly, with a monologue by 70-year-old Honngo Wangshu, who calls himself ‘the last of the tattooed headhunters’. Drifting away from rural surroundings, Wangshu is photographed speaking to a congregation in a church, where he works as a deacon. He converted to Christianity and was baptised in 1978. It was the religion’s growing influence in the region, coupled with modern education and a resolution passed by the Konyak Students’ Union, that finally ended the rituals. Since the last tattoos were etched in the late 1970s, all the subjects are elderly. Quite literally, these individuals are the last of their kind, which makes this book an indispensable record of history. n sumeet keswani outlook traveller • MarCH 2018

125

The Grumpy Traveller

Pout. CliCk. Post.

The joy of Travelling with your flatmate is inversely “I think I like this boy at work.” “Does this lipstick suit me?” proportional to the level of social-media addiction she suffers from. “Should I wear a dress or a sari for that wedding next month?” The I discovered this on a recent weekend getaway to the Kangra Valley never-ending irrelevant questions made me dream of a world where in the Himalaya. muzzling another human being would be considered normal.

It seemed as though the sun lighting up the mighty Dhauladhar She grumbled about the insects at night, trampled an ant hill or a flock of Himalayan swiftlets bursting from a pine tree could only in her path, and chucked her litter in a mountain stream. On our be truly appreciated through the lens of an iPhone. It is one thing to last night, she complained that the local cuisine had upset her capture a moment for posterity, but the loud, unrelenting stomach. What I had imagined as a peaceful weekend sound of her camera shutter followed me on every getaway turned out to be an aural nightmare. hike, shattering any hopes I had of distinguishing There are some who are in love with the idea one birdcall from another. of travel but expect the comforts of the city While passing a village, she made two old everywhere they go. By the end of the trip, I men pose around a fire for that perfect shot. imagined myself pushing her off a cliff, but the She entered a shepherd’s hut, looked around, realist in me quashed the idea—I could live with and walked out, shaking her head. “Nothing the memory of a bad trip, but suppose my next worth clicking,” she announced. She epitomised flatmate turned out even more annoying than the city-dweller who thinks the mountains and its this one? On the way back, she kept gushing about residents exist only to populate her Instagram page. how beautiful the entire experience had been. I wish I GETTY IMAGES n snigdha sharma And it didn’t stop there. could say the same.

time pass

chai ki charcha

I

f you’ve been to Sri Lanka, you’ve probably tasted the famous Ceylon tea. But did you know that a particular estate here produces what it claims to be the only virgin white tea in the world?

On a recent trip to the island nation (story on p.54), I happened to visit the Handunugoda tea estate in Ahangama, en route from Colombo to the southern port town of Hambantota.

Tea estate visits are usually all the same—plantation

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walk, factory tour and tasting session. But this one had a surprise waiting. Once we had had a refreshing cup of oolong tea, we embarked on a guided stroll through the plantation.

The tea estate is reknowned for its ‘virgin white tea’. The idea is to ensure no human touch during its production so that the tea isn’t adulterated in flavour or aroma by the sweat of the workers or the smell of their skin. To this end, the tea pluckers use gloves, scissors, masks and bowls to harvest the most tender of tea leaves.

To watch this sanitised form of tea plucking in real time was amusing. But not nearly as ridiculous as the story of the original process behind virgin white tea making. Legend has it that in the 5th and 6th century, Chinese emperors employed actual virgins to harvest their white tea. These virgins would use golden scissors to snip the

SUMEET KESWANI

tea leaves, which would then fall into a golden bowl. While the chastity criterion has been (thankfully) done away with, the estate’s proprietor, Herman Gunaratne, prides himself on maintaining the no-touch policy, which makes his produce sell at exorbitant prices ($36.50 for 30g; hermanteas.com). This brand of tea is also reported to contain the highest proportion of naturally occurring antioxidants for any bever-

age—10.11 per cent—and is said to reduce the risk of cancer.

The 200-acre estate has been in Gunaratne’s family for over a century. It was once part of a larger plantation of 2,200 acres. Around 1,000 acres of it was lost to the roll of dice by his grandfather, who was the president of The Suicide Club—a group of gamblers. It’s a story that Gunaratne is happy to recount, with a practised inflection of wistfulness. n sumeet keswani

where on earth?

A wAlk in the Old tOwn part of this city is a delight for medieval architecture lovers. But keep your eyes fixed to the ground and you might miss this quirky creation by sculptor david Cerný. the city has many of Cerný’s works, but this one is especially elusive since it dangles from a pole extending out from the roof of a building in a cramped, but historic, street. the sculpture is said to be an imitation of Sigmund Freud, and a comment on 20th-century intellectualism. Given that Freud suffered from an inflated fear of death, we don’t think he would have been particularly amused at this artistic statement. But Cerný’s lifelike statue has startled many a visitor, who confused the installation with a suicide attempt.

4name the sculpture and the city in which it is located.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Winner

january 2018 suhas badve kOlhApur in January, we featured the kelpies, Scotland. mail your entries to ‘Outlook Traveller Quiz’, AB-10 Safdarjung enclave, new delhi 110029

by March 30.

Or email us at letters@outlooktraveller. com. Only one entry per person will be accepted.

Traveltoons

[ By mario miranda ]

One lucky reader who answers correctly will win the Outlook Traveller Getaways Trekking in the Himalayas written by Harish Kapadia.

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Harish Kapadia, one of the most celebrated Indian explorers, has trekked extensively in the Himalayas over the past 50 years. He has crossed more than 150 Himalayan passes and explored many unknown valleys. The author of numerous books, his contribution to our knowledge about the Himalayan Range is significant.

He is the first Indian in 125 years to receive the prestigious Patron’s Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. He is also the recipient of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for Lifetime Achievement and the King Albert Mountain Award. An honorary member of many mountaineering organisations, he is also the Editor Emeritus of the Himalayan Club.

He is married and lives in Mumbai. Visit his website at www.harishkapadia.com

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